


Beautiful Time

by starrymeis (meiqis)



Series: Family Issues [2]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Adoption, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Family Dynamics, M/M, Mentioned NCT Ensemble, Mentioned WayV Ensemble, how do people tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-16
Updated: 2019-11-17
Packaged: 2021-01-25 05:41:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 26,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21351151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meiqis/pseuds/starrymeis
Summary: Jaehyun had been five when he had first declared he wanted to start his own family at the age of twenty. Back then he had not even presented, or given any thought as to what he would want to present as, but it had made his parents laugh.Now he was twenty-two and moon knew how much he wanted to have children already. According to five year old him, he was already two years late and considering some couples took years to finalize everything, he really wanted to get a move on already.But he really, really wanted to have a family of his own. Was that too much to ask for?or: the story of how Jaehyun and Taeyong finally become parents
Relationships: Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Dong Si Cheng | WinWin/Nakamoto Yuta, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Lee Taeyong
Series: Family Issues [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1531502
Comments: 8
Kudos: 124





	1. Before Renjun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, hello! (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡ 
> 
> While it is not necessary to read the previous part (which is about Renjun, Jeno and Jaemin), it is because of that story that a few people asked about additional stories sooo here it is! The time of when Jaehyun and Taeyong decided for adoption! (*˘︶˘*).｡.:*♡  
Originally, I wanted it to be a one shot but knowing myself, it will be quite long anyways so I decided I might as well split it into two, right?
> 
> I really want to thank [Gems](https://twitter.com/galaxyhjs) at this point <strike>as usual</strike> because she helped me sort through my ideas when I was clustered and gave me a bunch of ideas and stuff! She really deserves the world for having acted as my second brain for over a year now (ﾉД｀ﾟ)ﾟ｡
> 
> In a short while, I'll post the second part and there'll be a bunch of random notes at the end so look out for these! ♡(｡- ω -) 
> 
> trigger warnings: there's an implication of mpreg but whether you understand it as such or not is up to you. there's also non-graphic sex but it's still the reason it was tagged M after all

A movement next to him was enough to draw Jaehyun’s attention to the extent of reaching out and pulling the older closer, back to his chest and so incredibly small next to him. But Taeyong whined in protest and that, most definitely, did not make the alpha happy at all. “Yongie… It’s Saturday… What are you doing?”

There was more wiggly movements and it would have the younger upset if not for the breath fanning against his neck, the leg wrapping around his waist and how it brought their naked bodies closer again. The previous night had been… intense, to say the least. But how could it not when Taeyong had finally received a reply from the bank regarding the credit for this little shop he wanted to buy and remodel and that, in turn, meant getting his mate one step closer to the dream of opening up his own store. No more slaving away under someone else’s order, no more getting up at the asscrack of dawn just to prepare the kinds of decorations for cakes that were set in stone to fail when working even before the sun was up, no more being upset with annoying coworkers and stressing with too high expectations.

Had they followed Jaehyun’s wishes, Taeyong could have done so already years ago but the omega had never been someone wanting to rely on other people’s help. Instead he had worked for nearly two years now to afford the deposit for an investment and part of it surely was also faulted to Sicheng’s finally getting his undergraduate in business management, meaning the proposal had gone way better than they had feared. (They did trust Sicheng to that extent, Taeyong was just a natural worrywart. Worse than Yuta with the kids, actually.)

A tad too evidently Jaehyun could not only smell the traces of sex on his mate’s skin but also he felt the slickness of skin he had not cleaned properly enough in his own tired state last night, when the most he could do was get a washcloth to rub away on the older’s thighs. Now it was affecting him again, clearly not to everyone’s pleasure, according to the rough bite he received to his shoulders. “You’re insatiable…”

A low growl rumbled through his chest as the younger rolled them over, hovering above the omega whose legs spread on instinct and wrapped around Jaehyun’s hips. “Wonder whose fault this is,” the alpha muttered, allowing his breath to fan over the claiming mark he had put in its place nearly two years ago now, making sure it had Taeyong shivering in sensitivity. Only then did he bite where he had done the first time, drawing a moan from the older that immediately sent blood rushing between his legs and had Taeyong canting his hips upwards in search for friction. It made Jaehyun laugh softly as he pointed out, “But you’re no better than me, baby. Can you do another round yet?”

“Alpha,” the older whined, and if that wasn’t enough to have the taller snap then nothing else ever could.

It was nearly an hour later that Jaehyun felt his knot going down again. Unfortunately that also meant no more free cuddles and he was already missing the weight of his mate on top of him when it had not yet disappeared. But it would, soon, the moment Taeyong was ready to part from him and whine for a shower they both actually needed much. 

Before any of their usual routine could kick in, the alpha wanted to bathe in the serenity for a bit longer, one hand brushing away on pink strands of damaged and sweaty hair to reveal more of the face he had fallen for on first sight, pitiful as it was, while the other traced the knobs of spines until he had reached the point that connected them. Just because it was early in the morning, it didn’t mean he couldn’t be a sadistic asshole just yet, so he rubbed his finger against Taeyong’s rim, wet with slick from their morning sex and so tender he had no problem sliding his fingertip inside. All it did was get his omega moaning, pliant and smelling of arousal all over again. 

“You asshole…” The insult hardly carried any bite when the omega looked nothing but debauched and sounded the same, it had Jaehyun’s dick twitching all over again. If it went according to his wishes, he’d just have the smaller do all the work now and ride them into another high of pleasure but worry kept him from demanding just that. After all the orgasms of last night, he was already surprised that Taeyong had been able to bear with this and cumming dry had been equally as much of a signal for Jaehyun that his mate had reached his limit.

With a disappointed sound, he pulled his finger out and instead grabbed one of Taeyong’s asscheeks for support as he sat up and then awkwardly shifted towards the edge of the bed so he could stand up. Their skin was sticky with sweat and it felt plainly disgusting by now. Which said a lot when it came from him and not his cleanliness loving boyfriend. 

“Stupid alphas with their stupid unyielding sex drive,” the older muttered into his neck, right on top of Jaehyun’s matine mark and it was all said alpha could do to will the hardness out of his dick lest he’d have to jerk off in the shower while Taeyong was already relaxing in the bathtub. He had done that once and it had been sufficient enough of an embarrassing situation to last him a long time.

“Yongie,” he laughed instead, testing his hold on his boyfriend so he could make sure his hold was proper for the short way to the bathroom. “I’m pretty sure that’s just you having hit jackpot in having such a perfectly enduring boyfriend like me.”

“Don’t flatter yourself!” The omega huffed and even the pinch to his neck had Jaehyun hardly flinching. Not when his knot had swelled down enough for him to finally be able to pull out of his boyfriend and let him down inside the bathroom. He didn’t even ask what scent was prefered for the bath, just dropped one bath bomb at random into the inch high water, then maneuvered the older into the shower cabin. As much as he, too, yearned to be just resting in the tub already, it was definitely less funny if his cum was still leaking from Taeyong’s ass the whole while of it. 

In moments like these he was thankful for the shower not affecting the temperature of the bathing water too much, it did make cleaning up easier. Easy as it possibly could be to have his mate whining while he was cleaning all the traces from inside him and made sure to rub the slick and cum off his thighs. One hand was placed against his boyfriend’s stomach all through it, fingers caressing the smooth and marked up skin, that was already so perfect but, “It would look so cute all swollen with my pups…”

“Jaehyunnie,” Taeyong laughed, and by now the alpha was actually happy it ended with laughing. The initial time he had said these words had been in their first year, when mating instincts had gotten the better of him with his hitting rut, and it had lead to a heated debate afterwards. As much as it could be heated when Taeyong was exhausted from the onslaught of orgasms he had needed to suffer before Jaehyun had reached even one, and even then had they remained connected by his knot. Back then it had also given way to a bunch of topics (the very debate of how Taeyong could not possibly receive any children and thus contradicted his rut rambles, or what exactly they wanted from and expected for the future, family dreams, further career goals, there had been a lot of that) and now, with more than another year in the passing, it was an easier topic for them. Much to his delight as he had hated seeing his omega stressed out about it. “You know that’s Mission: Impossible.”

“Are you making movie puns out of this now?” The younger asked, smile on his face as he _accidentally_ brushed his fingers against Taeyong’s prostate who immediately squeaked in surprise and overstimulation. His touch felt drier now, with most of the slick and cum having washed out, so he rinsed his hands quickly before beginning to wash the strawberry pink hair with shampoo of matching scent. 

Like this it was so easy to love and to live, with the domesticity of just being close and caring for each other, looking out for his mate and making sure Taeyong was content and satisfied as often as he could possibly be. He wanted nothing more than this for the rest of his life, Jaehyun had decided already years ago. Except maybe… The thought was brushed aside for another second as he instead got to ridding the dyed strands of all the soap suds and then he lead the older out of the cabin and to the tub, helping him inside. 

Settling with Taeyong between his legs, back to chest, was natural now, in the same way as was brushing his teeth after getting up and making sure breakfast was on the table on their days off, when it was his turn to spoil his mate. It was already relaxing enough of a moment for him to ask, “Yongie, do you want to have a child with me?”

As expected, the older only laughed in delight once more. “Jaehyunnie, you already know I can’t-”

“Not like that,” he interrupted quickly, pressing soothing kisses to the pale skin presented to him, ghosting his breath over the mark that represented their bond. “We could adopt one.”

That, at last, shocked Taeyong into silence and from what Jaehyun could feel even to the point of tensing up momentarily. It was like dropping a bomb, no better than if he had suddenly admitted to being pregnant himself but it wasn’t something he had just come up with on the spot either. Rather he had thought it over for weeks now, if not longer. 

They were slowly hitting the age at which most couples would consider getting children and unlike many, money wasn’t even a problem for them. Sure, Taeyong’s plans of opening his own bakery were a bit problematic as it ensued a lot of time input but the alpha also knew the business plan that was not only about having some sort of safety space for mostly omegas but also to attract the caring parents consistent of omegas and betas that wanted to go out with their children too. And Jaehyun himself was getting closer to ending his Master’s degree too, and until then he spent a lot of time home anyways. 

“Jaehyunnie…” The heavy tone of the older was unsettling, like a lingering sigh that effectively flipped Jaehyun’s queasy stomach upside down. Oh-oh… “I know you want children but there’s the café and we still gotta pay your parents back and then there’s your studies and… I really just don’t know…”

“At least think about it, hyung,” the alpha pleaded with an ease that was not common among his secondary gender. There had been a time when some had mocked him about it, called him a lovesick fool and way to “zero” (zero because it could be spelled like o as in omega) to be a proper alpha. (Usually those people had regretted it after they had their ass beat by him.) But Taeyong had once told him it was endearing, that it showed he was none of those jocks that were overbearing and sometimes scary so it had become easier for him to accept this trait of his. 

“It’s not like you have decide tomorrow and we didn’t even look into adoption agency yet but can you at least consider it?” With his face pressed into his mate’s nape, it was easier to lie now. Maybe they had not yet looked into adoption facilities but he had - had researched them and juridical requirements, had taken out their financial data to prove their case, had searched agencies and orphanages to cover all options, and he even bought some parenting magazines. All of that was put into one drawer of his study and it would remain there until Taeyong had made up his mind. He only hoped it wouldn’t take too long because he really, really wanted a family.

“That I can do, Jaehyunnie,” the omega promised gently, nimble fingers caressing the slender ones resting above his stomach. Thinking was not that hard, after all.

  


⌒･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*☆  


  


Jaehyun had been five when he had first declared he wanted to start his own family at the age of twenty. Back then he had not even presented, or given any thought as to what he would want to present as, but it had made his parents laugh. Maybe because, albeit their family had not been ideal, they had at least made their best of it. His father was a private surgeon and had, only recently, moved from a public hospital to a private practice to be able to reduce working hours without a decrease of payment, even though it meant having to deal with more snobby and uptight clients. His mother, on the other hand, was working with fine arts, and her calloused and rough hands did not fit her smooth and elegant figures at all. She had specialized in figures and as there were not many people to carve marble by hand, she was in high demand usually. It was also how these two had met, during renovation and redecoration works at his father’s prior workplace.

When he had been ten, he had first been told about how he’d surely make such a nice alpha. What else was there to anticipate of him, son to an alpha father and beta mother, both in leading jobs and with good status. A few days later, he had asked his teacher in school what presenting as an alpha would mean and from there on it had been chaos.

An alpha was strong. An alpha could not cry. An alpha had to do physical labor. An alpha had to make money. An alpha this. An Alpha that.

None of the things they had said had included an alpha _wanting_ to have a family, it was always just about obligations. He had pouted for the remainder of the day and when his teacher had asked about his sullen mood, his peers had started laughing when he had said, “Because they told me I’d be an alpha but I just want to be a dad…” At least his teacher had taken pity with him and shushed the other students away before offering to escort him home that day. Whatever the teacher had told his mother at home, it had lead to her preparing his favorite dishes for him.

They moved to the United States when he was twelve and there he learned two things - Americans were very liberal. But they were only free in thinking as long as you were an alpha doing sports and an omega without aspirations. Jaehyun brought up an interest in culinary classes when they asked him what he wanted to do, and in return he was laughed at and mocked. Considering he was already the foreigner with poor language performance, he didn’t do it after all. Instead he asked the Korean auntie three houses over to teach him cooking on the weekends and on weekdays he stuck with basketball. It seemed to work in a way.

At the age of sixteen, they returned to Korea and he had never been more relieved before. He enrolled in high school with a delay that came from moving countries and took up the courage to enter the culinary club in his new school. They welcomed him at first, the girls kept pointing out how handsome he was and how sweet his dimples were, way sweeter than the cookies they made, and the only other boy in class seemed to be like him. Mingyu looked nothing short of an alpha but was interested in the same things and it was a big relief to Jaehyun at that time. (The peaceful times ended when they actually did present alpha half a year later and were more or less kicked out of the club as it was a housemate thing to do. Instead of joining other clubs as they were asked to, they signed a gym sub and spent the hours used on cooking on working out instead, and in between they exchanged recipes to recommend for trying out.)

Until he was nineteen and formally graduated high school, Mingyu and him had remained favorites among their peers, both for their second gender and their looks. But they applied to different universities and somehow it was easy to lost touch when all they talked about were cooking recipes.

On his first day of university, he received a ball to the head (he clearly remembered how someone had called “Headshot!” back then) and the one to apologize was Johnny. One thing lead to another and somehow he ended up in the same student union as the older, they applied for an exchange of roommates in the dorms, and then bothered their neighbors by talking English into the wee hours of the night. Long story short, thanks to Johnny (and their student union) he was quickly dubbed a jock once again - he went to parties on the regular, he had joined the basketball varsity, and he was an alpha. It was like a triple jackpot. 

Contrary to first impressions, though, Johnny and him were anything but. They went to check out cute cafés on Sunday mornings - not because of their hangovers or anything… definitely not… - and owned a shared collection of stuffed toys, all with a nickname each. Johnny made coffee in the morning and he prepared dinner at night. It was a perfect mixture until it wasn’t.

Johnny ditching him one Sunday had meant his going to some coffeeshop alone and that set a whole lot of things going. The first of macaroons and sweetened tea hit him the moment he had entered the little store and in his hungover state he hadn’t even connected the dots at first. But when one of the bakers brought new goods from the kitchen and he literally set eyes on the most beautiful person ever, he did finally get it. 

Confident gay adios, he had been a whole mess when he had asked for the barista at the counter about the guy with the “deer like eyes that hold all the stars of the universe” and he was quite relieved that Johnny was no spectator of that embarrassment or he’d be teased for years. To skip all the embarrassing parts, he had managed to hand his number over to Pretty Boy and then he had kind of dashed but it had been worth it when he received a message in the late afternoon anyways.

It had been their third date when Jaehyun had taken Taeyong out for roller skating and ice cream at the Han river and they had encountered a little kid while paying for the latter. “I really want one too,” he had muttered before realizing, looking longingly at the tiny pup, before the awkwardness hit him and the heat rose up to his ears.

Rather than being laughed at, Taeyong had only smiled at him and said, “Your ice cream is melting, Jaehyun.” Paying for the treat and settling on the bench had come prior to the omega adding, “But I also want a kid. One day.” (Jaehyun didn’t point out how he’d rather have a whole litter of pups than just one.)

Eight months into their relationship, and Jaehyun blurted about wanting to put pups into Taeyong in his pre-rut delirium. (That story had already been told.)

Now he was twenty-two and moon knew how much he wanted to have children already. According to five year old him, he was already two years late and considering some couples took years to finalize everything, he really wanted to get a move on already. Even if there were some problems they had to deal with - who did not? Having offspring was no easy thing but if he didn’t consider it soon, it would feel like wasting time that could be put into raising a kid. God, he did sound like a thirty-five year old omega without a mate nor child. But he really, really wanted to have a family of his own. Was that too much to ask for?

  


⌒･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*☆  


  


“Excuse me,” Jaehyun called softly as he pushed open the door to the office of the gallery, an area that was mostly restricted to the public so he could understand the somewhat confused gaze he earned. The guy in front of him was nothing short of the ideal image of an alpha, with thick muscles and evident strength, and instinct told him to behave but the scent threw him off. There was nothing of the intense spice and heaviness that was like a standard trait of their gender, much rather there was an underlying hint of juniper that was mostly covered by something lighter, like Gin mixed with fresh berries to make it seem sweeter. Rather than letting it confuse him, he put on his best smile and asked, “I’m looking for Lee Minhyuk? I was asked to come in for an interview.”

“Oh, the new kid,” the man immediately called out with playful delight and offered his hand. “You can call me Wonho. Minhyuk is currently looking over an installation so feel free to leave your things here and I’ll show you the way.”

Albeit it was not yet a fixed opportunity, Jaehyun was already certain that he would be more than delighted to stick around if only everyone was as nice as the other alpha, despite the unexpected appearance. The offer, too, was one he accepted with ease, putting his bag and coat onto a chair in the corner before the older went ahead and out of the office, down a few hallways and exhibit rooms until they arrived in one of the bigger ones. The centerpiece was one huge assortment of paintings, the styles a variation of all that had been so far, assembled in a way that might be called barbaric, nailed to wooden planks that were artfully constructed into a tower but there was a certain charm to it, the way it expressed the connectivity of all styles, and the emphasis on their relations resembled in colorful cords tight from one painting to another and weaved through the wooden stakes. It was a timeline constructed in a rather creative interpretation of.

“Minhyuk,” his guide called out in an amused tone, “Your new pup has arrived. Are you planning on using visuals to your advantage forever or are you actually reading past the picture?” 

“Shut up, you-” A flabbergasted voice protested and for the first time Jaehyun looked at the one he was actually working for. As much as he could see from several feet of a distance to the guy’s legs because Lee Minhyuk was standing on a ladder and currently adjusting one of the pictures before - surprisingly roughly - pushing against it to test its stability before climbing down. “Wonho, can you check it once again? It feels wobbly,” the man asked and quickly wiped his hands on the alpha’s shirt before turning to Jaehyun himself. “You’re Jaehyun, right? Don’t worry, I did look at your resume, I’m not as shameless as hyung makes me out to be!” And after a few seconds he added in a conspiratory manner, “Don’t tell him it’s sturdy while we two go get us some coffee.”

Apparently, the art curator meant that in the most literal sense of it as they left the gallery to head to the coffeeshop down the street, baring the short walk in the still somewhat chilly weather. MonGalerie was a rather new exhibit area, one to quickly have made a name of its own by gathering some influential modern art pieces while also getting collaborations with enough museums to always have a little repertoire of classic pieces. How someone had managed to come this far within a few years only had remained a curious matter to Jaehyun, at least before he had spent five minutes talking to Minhyuk and figured that the older simply was great in the arts of persuasion. Add to that “only” being a beta and no alpha would ever feel territorial, it was an unexpected advantage used wisely.

So far it had been mostly idle chitchat to keep them busy on their journey for coffee - that Jaehyun had awkwardly been treated to - and back, but by the time they had returned to the office space and the director had handed out some coffee to his fellow workers, the real talk started without pretense. “So you want to do your internship here? Are you still obliged to do that to receive a Master’s degree?”

“To an extent, yes. But I also think that trying out for work when I can is to my advantage, and my mate is also trying his hardest to achieve his dreams so I don’t want to look like I’m slacking off.” It felt a bit embarrassing to admit to that in front of a stranger, it was the kind of thoughts he wouldn’t even tell Johnny while sober. Not because there was a lack of trust but rather because most people his age seemed to be more about the party life than wanting to dive into adult matters even one day early. 

“Responsible, hard-working, honest and with that face to boost?” The teasing was received with a small of Jaehyun, not yet certain whether that was just an inside joke or not. (It was, in fact, an inside joke, as it turned out later on. Because MonGalerie had a reputation of only hiring good-looking people to attract more customers, whereas Minhyuk dubbed it coincidence and Taeyong had said, “Handsome people just flock together, Hyunnie.”) “I honestly see no reason not to hire you. If you don’t mind the short waiting, I’ll prepare the contract and call you once everything is settled but if you still have some time to spare, I’ll show you around and explain what you’d have to do right now.”

It was easy to agree but it definitely harder to follow along. Minhyuk turned out to be a blabbermouth and whilst it was entertaining, it demanded quite the focus to filter the useful from the useless. There was not actually that much - he’d have to get familiar with all the art pieces in the gallery and the respective artists, memorize which were for sale or not, and then be able to forward all the informations to visitors and especially those interested in buying. Furthermore, he had to get the basics of contracting down for when someone confirmed a purchase and all throughout that, look out for art that could be used as replacement and to discover new artists who might yet be too shy to go out to galleries to ask for a spot. 

Peachy. It was not the easiest work but most definitely something he could do, and memorizing things came easy to him anyways. So Jaehyun received it all with a smile and when they went back to the office for him to pick up his stuff, he was introduced to yet another staff members. Or something similar, for because either of them could say something, the tall stranger called out, “Oh! Minhyuk, look, Jooheon sent some pictures of his babies!”

Immediately Jaehyun perked up at that. From what he had gathered so far, most of the employees around here must be around his new boss’ age and while their age gap was not dramatic, it was still closer to the age of wanting to found a family. Warmth pooled within his heart at the thought of one of them being a parent already.

What he did not expect, though, was to come face-to-face with a photocopy of two kittens on a blanket stretching their limbs and Minhyuk explaining, “It’s only cats - cats! - but he keeps treating them like actual babies, can you believe?”

Honestly, Jaehyun had already tuned out because right that moment, an idea sparked to life. Pets were like children: take care of them, feed them, get attuned to them, and so on. So if he got them a pet, maybe Taeyong would be likelier to accept that taking care of a child, too, was not that hard as long as there was love. His face lit up at the thought and he nearly missed Minhyuk complaining, “I’m surrounded by cat people, I can’t believe it!”

Only nearly, though, because it still made him laugh softly. Rather than indulging the conversation, though, he smiled politely and grabbed his things. “I’ll take my leave then. I’m looking forward to working here so I’ll anticipate your call.”

His presently official boss gave him a quick salute before sending him off, and Jaehyun’s steps felt a bit lighter as he made his way home for the day.

  


⌒･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*☆  


  


“What do you think of us getting a dog?” It was like a bomb he dropped, and by the surprised gaze Taeyong sent him he just really felt content that neither of them was driving this day. Not because he wouldn’t want to, but Taeyong’s sister’s car had broken down some days ago and while the couple used one for convenience, she actually needed hers for work reasons. Moon knew what might have happened if they had used theirs and Taeyong had been the one to drive.

Then again, the thought hadn’t been a random one for him, not when he usually considered life changing decisions like that one well. Rather it had haunted him nearly two weeks now, ever since one of his new work colleagues, a charismatic guy named Jooheon, had boasted about how adorable his new kittens were, calling them his babies and all, and like a lot of incidents recently, it had only ignited his wish for a child all over again. His thoughts had just gone off on a tangent afterwards, stuck in his mind and twisting and turning around.

He knew some of Taeyong’s hesitation towards his proposal had been born from longtime insecurities and partly stemmed from the fear of not doing a good job. Jaehyun loved his mate, with all his heart, but the imminent need for perfection had been something he had first needed to wrap his head around; the countless of hours spent on perfecting one specific recipe, the nearly obsessive need for cleanliness that kept the older up for longer than the alpha liked. It had been an internal conflict for him too, wanting to keep his mate safe and satisfied was not always the same. 

Keeping a pet, though, might get Taeyong more familiarized with taking care of someone else, someone who needs more support and care than Jaehyun, or any of their friends. It would establish routine, changing diapers would mean going for walks, listening to barking was like understanding childish gibberish, and they’d have to free some time for them anyways. Naturally it wouldn’t come without protests, but he had prepared himself for this kind of discussion for a while now, he was certain they could reach a conclusion. 

What he had not expected, though, was the immediate, “Yes!” So caught up in his own anticipation of denial, he hadn’t considered just how much Taeyong loved animals after all, proven once again when his lovely mate added, “But I’ll choose it! Is this, like, some sort of early Christmas present? Or you giving me hints for your birthday?”

To an extent, he had thought of this conversation to possibly end up getting cut short because they might be caught up in pros and contras until their brunch appointment forced them to shut it down. (Or Ten got involved and rattled off a whole list of pro dog arguments.) Not that he had counted on that, because as much as he wanted to ask that since a while now, he hadn’t planned on doing it right then. It had just… slipped.

“You’re just agreeing like that?” Jaehyun asked, still a bit overwhelmed by the immediate agreement. Whenever he thought he had Taeyong figured out, he got to know a new thing about his mate, and he loved it. He loved finding out as much as possible about Taeyong nearly as much as he loved his boyfriend. Which also reminded him of how he should maybe propose their marriage certificate next, if all went so easy. Not that it made a big difference, from a society’s point of view, being mated and married was about the same, people didn’t discriminate against it; legally speaking, it was also nearly equally treated, but by making it official, there were just a few more perks. For example, they could finally get listed in each other’s family register, or file their taxes a bit differently.

So far, within their cycle of friends only Yuta and Sicheng had gotten officially married and, while they dearly loved each other, they all knew for that couple it hadn’t been just that reason. But Yuta had always been more down to earth than Johnny and Jaehyun with their frat anyways.

First things first, though. Since Taeyong had agreed to adopting a dog already, he felt warmth blossom in his chest. Not only because this was possibly taking him closer to family, but also because there had been no protests, no questions of whether they were ready for that or not. Despite the omega’s infinite love for animals, Jaehyun was certain that, had there been any doubt of their working relationship, the approval might not have come as easily. It was not only about getting a dog, it was about being assured of their bond so endearingly, he couldn’t help but fall some more for his mate.  
Thus he didn’t hesitate in pulling the older closer once they stopped at a red light, one arm around that lithe waist and the other cupping a cheek ruddy from the cold, and pressed a quick kiss to the corner of Taeyong’s lips. Under different circumstances, he might even have worshipped all of his mate’s body but as it was, Jaehyun had to bear with some of the scrutinizing gazes around for even that bit of affection. Still, beneath his own lips he could feel Taeyong’s pull into a smile. When the glare of some middle aged man burnt a bit too hot against his neck, he let out a little amused huff and instead opted for just taking his mate’s hand and stuffing it into his coat pocket, to keep both their fingers warm.

The streetlight went green and they quickly went on their way again, the warmth of love, as romantic as it sounded, did about nothing against winter’s cold breath, so seeing the restaurant was a sweet relief to both of them. What was about to come even made Jaehyun smile a bit as he joked, “You could start asking Ten for tips about how to handle dogs now but I think you’ll only get a list of all his dogs’ names. Don’t you think if he hadn’t such an affinity for changing beds as often he might have ended up as forty year old grumpy virgin with three dozen dogs?”

Listening to Taeyong’s wheezing laughter was endearing, the kind of sound he could never get enough of, and it definitely made making fun of his own friend all that much better. There was no denying Ten’s days of before knowing Johnny had been quite turbulent - admittedly, Jaehyun’s and Johnny’s had been too - but the one year of their relationship going strong had done wonders to both of them. And by now there also were less discussions about their dynamic too. 

“They might still end up with three dozen dogs at forty,” Taeyong added on, little amused smile on his face still and this small twinkle in his eyes that always made Jaehyun’s day. It was like the light at the end of the tunnel, just less dramatic, his tunnel was no more than a metaphor for a tiring and strenuous day. 

“Who might?” Another voice called out, higher in pitch and it had made more of Jaehyun’s hangovers unbearable before than he’d like to admit. Ten had always been horribly whiny when he was hungover himself and also sore from spending the night with Johnny before they just passed out in the latter’s bed. How Jaehyun had never gotten flashed by them before when he, too, had stumbled into the room at night and more or less dropped dead was a mystery. Or just gotten greeted by them when he came home from spending the night elsewhere. It had been as horrendous as it had been amusing back then. Nowadays the alpha felt way better living with his mate, though, and getting away from another bunch of alphas sure had done something to his drinking habits too. 

Jaehyun hardly got to greet the other omega, when a rough hand came down on his shoulder, slapping once, twice, which had him grunting slightly. “Good morning to you too,” Johnny greeted, voice soothing and warm on this cold morning. “How about we go in first before you continue your talk of dogs while freezing your noses off?”

Trust Johnny to make all this easier, Jaehyun thought to himself, before giving Ten a quick semi-hug and then, more caring about his own mate, they headed in. And indeed, settled at the table and catching up on their earlier talk, as well as the foregoing conversation, it was but one tumultuous cooing about dogs. Jaehyun could only try to remain attentive, filter out what was actually useful information, but throughout it all, he couldn’t shake off the questioning gaze Johnny sent him in between. The younger merely tried to cover it up with a simple smile.

  


⌒･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*☆  


  


“You’re a lifesaver,” Yuta called once more through the phone, or as much as one could call while being stuck at the airport and trying not to disrupt anyone around. That much Jaehyun could honestly understand, and he didn’t even mind it, because the reason he had been called was all the more delighting in first place. Or the consequence of it. Because Yuta being stuck at home might not be that funny after all.

The Japanese had been lucky initially, getting some additional days of vacation because of accumulated overtime throughout the recent months and managing to book some short notice plane tickets to go home before the holidays. Alas, now he was stuck in Osaka, flight delayed by several hours because of unprecedented weather problems and Sicheng had left for a company celebration some several hours away in the morning, after taking the kids to kindergarten. Which was exactly where Jaehyun was headed now, actually.

“You know there’s a sleepover bag at the ready at home, right? Just in case I won’t be able to make it until tonight. And their favorite food at the moment is crab stew with noodles but you can’t make it too spicy. And don’t let them eat too many of Taeyong’s stuff or-”

“Hyung,” Jaehyun quickly interrupted with a soft laughter, “I know all that. It’s not the first time we have them over, you know?” Much rather it was the opposite. Considering how neither of the couple was on suppressants, despite their instincts having settled a bit with kids around, they were still going through synched heat and rut every other month and some. Naturally, sometimes the kids would need to sleep over somewhere, and considering how Jaehyun was the only one not having suffered the working life until recently, he had simply been the best option.

Sure, his professors had given him the stinky eye when he had shown up to lectures with kids in tow once or twice but Dejun and Kunhang were not that bad as long as they were distracted, which was easily achieved with just having them their Nintendos and leaving them to it. Even now, he had actually needed to ask Minhyuk to get off work earlier because of a family emergency but if he was smitten with children, his boss was even worse. He had only needed to as much as mention that the kids had no one else to pick them up and he had been more or less kicked out. Without a deduction of hours, to top it off. Basically, he was in love with his current job. 

“Alright, okay. Just… take good care of them, okay?” With the stress washed off, Yuta sounded mostly… tired. Unsurprisingly, about anyone would be after travelling and being with family after a long time again, it surely entailed a lot of meeting people rather than being able to rest, and now to even be stuck at the airport - Jaehyun felt with him.

So it was also easy to say, “I will. I promise. And tomorrow you can already hug them all you want again. But, hyung, I’m close now so I’ll have to hang up, okay? Update me when anything changes, alright?” A quick flurry of promises and goodbyes followed and then the car went silent. The calm before the storm. Jaehyun snorted in humor for a second there, but his navigation announced his approaching arrival so he rather focused on finding a parking slot. 

Jaehyun kind of wanted to say getting the kids from the daycare was easy but alas, it was not. The kindergartener was new and not familiar with him so he had to go through a whole bunch of questions and present her his ID so she could go through the data until another lady showed up, one he was vaguely familiar there and who let him go on. As if the twins pressing their faces to the window and making faces at him had not been enough proof of that.

“Uncle Jay!” Kunhang called out loudly whilst Dejun just made the grabby hands to be picked up. In short - and they, too, were short - he was like a climbing tree for two kids within seconds. Frankly, he loved it. Loved being able to pinch their little cheeks and ruffle their hair and how much easier it was to just lift them up because as much as Taeyong was a featherweight, there was a drastic difference in balance too. 

“Go get your stuff and then we go home, okay?” He grinned and let the younger down again, so they could get dressed for the horrid outside weather despite it only being a short walk to the car. Better be safe than sorry. Once dressed, he quickly bowed out with them and shushed them to the car, reminding them to buckle up properly for the drive. Which wasn’t that long, actually, just head to Yuta’s, get the bag, head home, and keep the kids entertained.

The real mess started there only, when they insisted to game on the Playstation and get some snacks, except they could never agree on either of those. Not on the games, not on the snack, and Jaehyun most definitely would not play favorites. Because he loved them both equally, and at this point he was certain he knew about them as much as Sicheng did, and Jaehyun knew Sicheng for as long as he knew the kids, too.

Secretly he admired the omega. Before he had met Yuta, the Chinese had taken care of everything himself - the kids, studies, work, without any support from his parents. Especially in the beginning, Jaehyun had made it his main task to pay for meals whenever he asked Sicheng and the kids out or whenever he stayed over and they ordered in, and he knew under normal circumstances the omega would be too proud to accept that but parents were willing to sacrifice a whole lot, even their pride. The way awkward part had been when they were mistaken as young couple, though, or when he was accused of having brought trouble upon this poor, innocent alpha. Jaehyun had not always denied it, sometimes it was easier to carry that burden without fault than see Sicheng slump under their judgemental words.

He had been the one to gift Dejun an ukulele when the kid had spoken an interest into existence, had taken part in building the boy’s book collection and played superagent with him. When he had heard about Kunhang being jumped by a frog, he had been the first to laugh but also kept a lookout for the amphibians every time after, gifted him a cactus when the third blooming flower died in a row because it was low maintenance. Which didn’t mean he was displeased by having that spot stolen by Yuta, on the contrary, Jaehyun loved it. To see not only his best friend blossom with love but also the twins to get attached so easily, not to mention that Yuta most definitely was more dedicated than Jaehyun who only did so much while in a frat, studying, and trying to woo Taeyong all at once.

Just that he always again forgot that with rising age the kids also got more active, which was the reason as to why, after they had grown bored of the Playstation, they had taken to engage in some heady roleplay of a You Only live Twice imitation. Actually, most of what Jaehyun had to do was sit in his office chair and keep a stuffed animal on his lap to represent the cat while sometimes throwing some tissues in lieu of bombs. The stress mostly came from seeing the chaos the kids brought upon the living room, throwing this and that around and using guns of elastics equipped with folded paper to shoot at him. It was a surprising amount of creativity for that age, he might add.

They had just gotten to the best part, where he got shot and would be taken down, stopping whatever grand explosion and his sliding off the chair, when the front door clicked open. Like on instinct, the boys froze up and looked to Jaehyun in question, who already knew who it was anyways. Not only because it must be about the time Taeyong finished work but more so, the sweet scent of strawberries and sugar wafted over, something the pups were not yet aware of, still so far away from presentation.

“Hyunnie, are you home? I got the crab you wanted and I think it thawed on the way home but- oh,” his mate sweetly exclaimed when seeing the living room in the passing, doe eyes glancing over from above the grocery bag, slender frame still hidden by his coat and all. It was nothing short of endearing.

Apparently, not what Kunhang thought, for his eyes went big as he stared at Taeyong like kids might look like at Santa Clause, and asked, “Will there be crab stew for dinner?”

Jaehyun could see the little bit of stress accumulating in his boyfriend’s body quite as fast as it was eradicated by Dejun’s innocent eyes, surely hoping for an affirmative and when it came, in an adorably timid way, the broke into cheers and even dropped the elastics used as guns. Still, he was quick to get up and grab the groceries from the older, pressing a quick kiss to Taeyong’s forehead before he told the kids to follow and promised to clean it up in a bit. 

Cooking, too, seemed to pass in a flash when he turned on some music and cheered on the kids dancing until he was all done, instead having them settle at the table with some tea and Taeyong after. Until the stew was properly soaked with flavor, it might take some time, time he could use for cleaning and tidying up their living room to his mate’s satisfaction, picking up all the little extras of playing around. Creating chaos always came easier than cleaning it up, and to an extent he dreaded it, but seeing the result still weighed more.

Not to mention how heart-rending it was to see his own mate treat children so dearly, talking to them and asking them about their everyday stories, it had this little ticker inside his chest grow with fondness. As a side-effect, though, the craving to have a family of their own also grew, the thought of coming home to a scene like this every day, to Taeyong engaging with their child and looking as if little rays of sunshine were weaving through the air. He wanted it, nor more than ever.

Instead of saying that out loud, he swallowed it down and turned around to look for his phone and check for updates from Yuta’s side. They weren’t the best but apparently more definite, the storms had calmed down and the airport was slowly picking up work again, but long distance flights had more of a priority so as it currently stood, the Japanese would only come back some time in the morning. In return, Jaehyun sent some quick updates of the twins, and then reminded the older to take care of himself well for the night. If all went well, maybe they could still have brunch altogether the next morning, as it was finally weekend after long, and the workers in charge of renovating the bakery also deserved their days off, quite like Taeyong. He quickly shot a question for detailed flight informations and then put his phone back into the pocket. The stew was about to pass its minimum cooking time, meaning it was time to throw in some noodles and then, as usual, after dinner would mean the kids were likelier to fall asleep. Good thing he had already set the couch for them, then.

“Say,” Taeyong asked when they were finally all alone in the kitchen, the sky outside dark and the lights dimmed. In his hands was a mug of steaming tea, the kind that would aid him fall asleep later, and he was set on the counter, watching over the alpha doing the dishes. “Why do you keep calling them twins? We don’t celebrate their birthdays on the same day…”

It was a question Jaehyun had honestly anticipated since a while now. Surely, when his then only-got-together boyfriend had met Sicheng the first times, he hadn’t dared to question, but after this long, it was sure overdue. Still, it had the younger halt in his movements of scrubbing at the pot for a moment. “They are. Twins, I mean.” With a sigh, he put down the pot and sponge, wrapping his fingers around the little distance between sink and edge instead. “There were some complications with the pregnancy and their equal growth so at that time, when Dejun was likelier to survive outside the womb, they did a caesarian to get him out. Kunhang came from natural childbirth several weeks later but they’re still twins, after all.” He smiled wryly, remembering how distressed Sicheng had been when telling him first, the memories weighing heavy on the young father, and just thinking of it had Jaehyun also empathize.

Taeyong, too, must be startled by that explanation that was a whole story and yet not all, because he remained silent for a bit. There must be a distinct difference between knowing one could never receive a child and know what some people went through in the process of, and it was a thought Jaehyun could not entirely relate to. He felt with those who suffered on the way of becoming parents, but he was physically not able to receive children, it created a definite wall between the genders he could never breach.

“Jaehyun,” Taeyong finally spoke up again, about the time the alpha was nearly done with cleaning everything and putting it on the drying rack before he’d start on cleaning surfaces, “If I were in such a situation, when pregnancy becomes complicated and it would have affected me, instead… Who would you choose?”

Was this the time to drop the sponge in shock? It sure felt like that time, and his own unease must have been evident to his mate, too, for he felt a little wince from his side. Eventually, he just released a heavy sigh and turned over to the older, mindful of his gloved and soapy hands as he wrapped his arms around the omega to be as close as possible at the moment. A gentle kiss to his nose, the eyebrows, the little scar, those rosy lips. “We can always start a family without you bearing my child. But I can’t found a family without you by my side.”

Something must have eased within his mate, little weight suddenly slumping against Jaehyun who could only laugh softly. “Sit up again, will you? I want to finish this up soon and get some cuddles from you before the little nightmares wake up again. 

“I’m glad,” the older spoke up, voice silent and insecure, and Jaehyun’s arms tightened on instinct. “For the first time I’m glad to not be able to bear your child because I would never want you to have to go through that, Jaehyun. When we’re ready for it, let’s found a family in a different way.” 

Those words had his heart blooming with love and squeezing in pain all at once. He didn’t get to say something in return regardless, Taeyong much rather pushing him away to get to bed already. Despite it all, despite the bit unsettling comment, all he wanted to do right now was to follow his mate and get a good rest. Everything else could still follow another day.

  


⌒･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*☆  


  


The music was loud and booming, reverberating through Jaehyun’s every bone, the lights flashing in all kinds of colors throughout the club. University regulations had forbid them to throw parties on campus grounds but one of the former frat members had forsaken academical standings in favor of using some of daddy’s money to buy, renovate and open a club. It was now their regular spot for the near weekly celebrations, albeit Jaehyun himself hadn’t taken part in those since a while now. At first it had been because of moving out of the dorm and into a new apartment with Taeyong, but that had been nearly two years ago. Not being surrounded by a bunch of alphas that talked him into going out, he hadn’t attended as often and his competitive sense, too, had been lowered. Shortly after he had picked up his Master’s, his coursework had increased, and going out had become even less. His own frat brothers tended to call Yuta and him _The Married Ones_ by now.

To be exact, on the contrary to Johnny, he couldn’t remember the last time he had joined in on this, but the older and Ten always had been on the more active side than him, enjoying their life as it was now. It was the contrary to what Jaehyun craved for, and it was all the more obvious now that he had agreed to it after a long time again. Admittedly, the bourbon was still nice but that was about it - there were too many pungent scents after the neutralizers were drowned out, the noise was nearly too much when the loudest thing he was familiar with was Yuta during some games, the lights were hurting his eyes now that he was mostly used to the appropriate illumination at the gallery, and the fact that he was utterly bored might just be the worst.

“Hey, pretty one,” a woman next to him purred, arms crossed on the table and generous cleavage emphasized as she leaned against them. It took some moments for Jaehyun to filter her scent as a beta, which was definitely nicer than getting hit on by an alpha - been there, done that, it was horrible. They had been past tipsy, clumsy, and way too focused to win the other over rather than having a pleasurable time. So much to alphas in bed. Had he been some years younger and still in that time where Taeyong had told him to enjoy life some more before getting into a committed relationship already, he might have even taken her up. As it was, he only pulled his collar some more aside to show her his mating mark, and nothing was a bigger turn off than a foot fetish and/or a mating mark.  
Other days he might have been more charmed by even just the thought but this night, he just felt itchy and irked, only the thought of Taeyong circling his mind and, “I’m definitely too old for that.” His head collided with Johnny’s chest who, finally, had his energy won over by his thirst and came over to the seats to get another drink. 

“Jae, you’re only two years younger than me and not even I am moping around,” the older snorted and strong hands around Jaehyun’s shoulder forced him upright again. It was by this time he finally noticed the alpha pheromones radiating off his best friend, likely spiked by grinding and humping Ten like some horny brat, and it had him nearly baring his teeth. Instincts, as much as he wanted to deny them, still took over at times, and currently his told him to fight Johnny, not to mention how drinking sometimes tended to boost his aggression levels on top.

“Fuck,” Johnny heaved out at the same time Jaehyun muttered a low, “Sorry,” and turned to his drink again. His hand grabbed merely empty air as he instead saw his best friend hold the tumbler and swirl the liquid around. 

“No more of that. I’ll get you a cab and you go home and nail Taeyong or whatever you usually do before your rut.” For a second, the elder was focused on the phone, trying to get him a taxi indeed, and Jaehyun tried to get his drink once more, his neck hair close to bristling like a cat by merely being denied. 

It was delayed some bit until what Johnny had said settled in his mind but when it did, he couldn’t help the short wail that escaped him. The hinting at screwing his mate into the mattress had his instinct going haywire with his messed up hormonal state, body yearning to just pump his omega full of his seed and get some pups out of it; his mind went the opposite way, remembering how that was impossible and that his boyfriend had not yet given him a proper reply and he might just die without any kids but the promise of a dog on his hands. 

“Don’t wanna go home,” he finally announced, and tipsy Johnny was a fucker for he had the audacity to snort at Jaehyun in his miserable state of self-pity. There was no other way to call it, he felt pitiful for being so invested in an idea and having all his hopes up while knowing Taeyong might not yet be ready for it but even a talk? Couldn’t they just talk it out and see when would be an appropriate time? He tried to reach for his drink once more but the sadist he called best friend just emptied it in one go.

“Yes, you wanna go home,” Mr America replied, and Jaehyun seriously found himself questioning biology and nature when his best friend seemed to have bulked up on a whim and just heaved him out of his chair. It had his need to fight flare up and were he any closer to his rut, he might even have punched his former roommate. Actually, that they had been roommates before might actually be the reason he was still so affable around Johnny despite being an alpha himself. Dumb frats and their gender regulations.

Little more than a few moments passed and he found himself standing outside, wrapped in his coat, and a cigarette stuck between his lips. A bad habit Taeyong had cursed when he had started smoking in between, mostly because of the frat influence, nevertheless, he surprisingly had found that it anchored his hormones to an extent, and doing exams pre-rut sure had been one of those moments when he had needed a smoke to ground himself. Still, he told every new frat member to not pick up smoking themselves for it was a nasty habit, and at least part of him needed to be a role model still.

“I’ve sent a message to Taeyong to pick you up at the door and I’ll tell Ten brunch is cancelled. Is there anything else you need?” Johnny asked, ever so careful, and Jaehyun nearly leaned into the hand feeling up his forehead and brushing back some stray hair. “When you’re yourself again and there’s something you want to talk about, Jae, you really don’t need to hesitate. You know that, right?”

Jaehyun smiled lightly at these words, noting from the corner of his eyes how a taxi pulled up. Without further ado and great words, he just handed his cigarette to the older and got in, not yet drunk enough to not be coherent enough but too gone in his hormones to want to think about much. In theory, he was aware that he could always talk to Johnny and Yuta about his struggles, but in that case, it just felt wrong. Johnny and Ten were not even remotely close in settling down just yet, as was evident by their nearly weekly Friday outings with the frat still, and Yuta was already too settled, having a proper job, family, and all that. Asking either about it felt wrong, and he didn’t want to burden Sicheng with that at the moment too. When it came down to it, he probably just to figure it out on his own, and that was about it.

  


⌒･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*☆  


  


The study room within their apartment wasn’t exclusively his, not the least, but there was a drastic difference between a need for it between them. Taeyong was usually stuck in the kitchen for so long, Jaehyun was not used to seeing his mate in this room at about any time, especially not to be stuck behind the study desk and not yet having tried to clean up the mess that was his study material. Instead, an even bigger mess was spread out on top of his books and notes, a mess of booklets and prints from adoption websites, and behind that sat one accusingly looking omega.

“When did you start all this?” The older asked, and while it was not the first time Jaehyun found himself at a loss of words around his boyfriend, it had never been like this. Like, the first time he had seen his sweet sugary omega, he was sure his jaw had dropped to the ground, or the first time he had attended a regional dance battle and seen the patissiere dance with so much power and might, his heart might as well have been stepped on. Sometimes he still felt flabbergasted by just how angelic Taeyong could look in the morning, beauty refined, an unpolished diamond. There was no one to ever stun him in the same way and yet, this was none of those moments. This was just his own mate being upset with him, and his lower thoughts already told him to better plead for forgiveness, instincts just wanting for his mate to be happy. “When… did you look all of this up?”

“Before I brought it up to you,” Jaehyun replied honestly, because there was little else he could do. He had never lied to his boyfriend, not even when they had still been at the flirting stage when they weren’t entirely serious but also not just friends and he had happened to make out with someone else during a party, or even slept with someone. He had been honest during his three in the morning calls when he had had a mental breakdown over studying and needed to walk down to the phone booth out on the streets because he didn’t want to suffer the embarrassment from being seen by Johnny, if he even was home.

With a sigh, he walked over to the chair stood in front of the desk and plopped down onto it. It was not exactly how he had wanted to lead this conversation but there was no helping it now, so he could only try to make the best of it after all. “I wanted to be prepared in case you agreed to it and I didn’t expect it to… God, Yongie, I’ve asked you about it weeks ago and you didn’t bring it up once since then. Maybe you would’ve said ‘No’ and I’d have to give it up for a while, or you’d have shown interest and I could’ve shown you that I’m not walking into this unprepared but it ended just like that.”  
“This… is too much,” Taeyong sighed, neatly stacked the brochures and papers together and put them back to where he got them from. “When you asked me, I didn’t realize how serious you were about this so I’m sorry about that. But I don’t think I can do this just yet.” 

“I understand,” Jaehyun mumbled, pushing his hands through his hair as he dropped his head. He had never liked the feeling of being cornered, part of why he was no great fan of staying indoors for too long, and this was one of those situations he’d rather escape. Not even the soothing touch of the baker’s nimble fingers against his nape could do much against that at the moment.

“I have a meeting with the interior designer in a bit so I’ll need to get going. Shall we talk about this at night?” It was always like that, Taeyong was being considerate and Jaehyun went with his head through the wall. There had been a time he had blamed that on their gender tendencies, but turned out he had just lived a pretty spoiled life of people being in his favor no matter of the stuff he pulled, and there had been enough times for him to mess up. A definite opposite to his mate who had needed to look after others more often than not, and still, at least it taught him to show compassion over time.

“I’d rather not…” He smiled wrily, not wanting to breach a topic that seemed finite anyways, and got up. No matter how frustrated he was with himself or others, he should let it out on his boyfriend so he placed his hand on the low of the omega’s back and pushed him forth, towards the door and down the hallway. “When you’ve made your decision, that’s when we’ll talk.” Taeyong made a short agreeing noise and, once dressed, the younger leaned in to press a kiss to the corner of his lips. “Tell me once you know when you’ll be back. Dinner is on me today.”

The short smile Jaehyun received in turn was blinding, it made him forget about the earlier conversation for a moment. It was something they had dubbed _The Taeyong Effect_ years ago, collectively, when Ten found himself to be less bitchy around the other omega, or when even Johnny would stop drinking during a night out. There was just no resisting his lovely mate, and it was that he focused on rather than some petty feeling of upset.

  


⌒･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*☆  


  


With finals approaching, having to live off caffeine and too little sleep, the current moment of having to look upwards while Jungwoo was applying make-up base to his lower eyelids honestly felt like torture with how sensitive they were. He might correct himself, though, because the process of this whole day felt like torture with how he had to clamber out of bed at five in the morning just to get his hair and make-up done according to Ten’s schedule. Whatever had possessed him years ago when he had promised the fashion design student to volunteer as model whenever needed clearly had not been in his favor. Because even years later, the older was adamant about Jaehyun keeping his words, despite looking like death personified, and just how horrible it as he had realized when Jungwoo had given him _that_ look.

At this point of time, he called Eunseo his only support, especially when she pressed a paper cup of coffee into his hand that intensely smelled of strong coffee and sweet milk. He was close to saying the three magical words to her before he reminded himself to be better than that. As Johnny’s younger sister, though, she had to suffer a similar fate as Jaehyun, called in as a model in the dead of the night to be readied for the shooting. Just how pleased she was by that was evident by how the unique scent of rose liquor lingering around her had taken a nearly rotten note. At least she could still doze off a bit, before being left to Jungwoo’s hands, unlike him.

“Why are we doing this again?” She complained, still, slithering down in her chair as she watched him through the mirror, eyelids drooping and she looked close to adorable. It reminded him of how he had met her face, still looking somewhat baby faced but easily able to keep up with them in gym. Or, nearly, because with her lighter frame she didn’t do as intense sets as them, yet she easily had stuck around with them for about the same time. Not like it had been a regular occurrence but when it happened, he had been impressed nonetheless. 

“Because you’ve both promised me before,” Ten answered, rather than Jaehyun, and swiftly took place on the table in front of him. To the alpha, though, it sounded more like, “You’ve sold your souls to the devil, aka me.” Not that he was suicidal enough to correct the designer… Especially when Ten spoke up again and said, “So… A little birdie told me you’re harboring a desire to have children now?”

If it was any possible, the alpha would very much enjoy to spit his coffee into the omega’s face now, only that it went against all his instincts and he was not eager to have his ass beat by neither Ten nor Jungwoo. Through the mirror, he could feel even Eunseo’s curious eyes on him, and as it seemed, this current change of topic had easily woken up everyone within the room. “Hyung,” he thus just carefully started, “I’ve always wanted to have a family.”

A little voice told him this kind of conversation would be easier to have with Johnny around, because despite most of their escapades revolving around weekend parties and alcohol, the mere fact they had stayed in one room for nearly three years and spent nights filling the silence between them with careless chatter and meaningful conversations, meant that his best friend knew him better than most others. But apparently it took Taeyong consulting Ten to bring up this kind of topic around them now. It actually surprised him, by now he’d have thought for the two omegas to have exchanged about all their and their boyfriends’ kinks already.

“But adoption? Where did you get that one from?” The older kept on asking, tone a mixture of curious and spiteful. Ten had never been one for family, not to the extent Jaehyun was, and that was something the alpha had realized soon, for much as he had slept around with people before, too, he had gotten more and more reluctant about that the better he had known Taeyong. Whilst Ten had thrived on his freedom and Johnny had been more into making his boyfriend happy than rushing into things that could still take place at a later time. 

“Do we really need to have this conversation now?” He questioned, rather than giving a proper answer himself, and signed Jungwoo to step aside for a second so he could look at Ten properly. “I don’t know what Taeyong told you exactly but, hyung, that’s still a matter between him and me. So I don’t really want to talk about it with anyone unless we settled it ourselves first. Okay?”

There was silence, for a second or two, then a new voice exclaimed, “Woah, why so grumpy?” Jaehyun didn’t even turn around to check on Johnny, his best friend must have entered sometime during their talk, and not like he needed to, when some moments later the tall frame of the other alpha was visible through the mirror anyways.

As if it was a matter to get upset about, Ten accused, “He wants to adopt a kid!” Just the way it said had Jaehyun triggered, ready to jump into a discussion about what was so wrong about wanting a family. Instead, it was Jungwoo’s subtle shake of the head and soothing hormones that stopped him from doing exactly that.

Johnny, though, didn’t seem the least bothered by it. “So…? He probably wanted to start a family before Eunseo had grown out of her diapers.” As if the matter was so simple, it was already shrugged off, and the nonchalance the oldest handled it with, seemed to even take the wind out of Ten’s metaphorical sails. 

Instead, there was Eunseo looking startled by being roped into the conversation and even going as far as pinching her older brother into the side. It was cute to watch them, even their bickering fit their relaxed nature well, had little of that bite and spite some other siblings carried into their conversations.

After some time, Ten must have left the room, something Jaehyun took note of rather due to the absence of scent than eyesight, thanks to how Jungwoo was currently busy applying some eyeliner above his lash line. After years of getting roped into the designer’s schemes, ever since the now couple got together for their first joint project, Jaehyun had grown appreciative of the make-up artist’s gentle touches, even when he was easily irritated in his exhausted state.

“If you ask me,” the beta spoke up, once it was only the original three of them in the room again, “I think you’re brave. It’s good that you’re speaking up about what you want. Some relationships break apart because wishes remain secret and turn into accusations. It’s better to talk about it and maybe get rejected than regret never having asked.”

Behind them, Eunseo snorted, and asked, “What kind of book did you get that from?” 

Jungwoo, rather than looking affronted, rather took to sulking a bit, and seeing such adorable expression had even Jaehyun lose even the last bit of his tension. For a moment, he had nearly forgotten about the female alpha being as used to this whole modeling-for-Ten thing as he was. Thus, also as used to Jungwoo, and as comfortable in teasing him. It was one of the things that actually made the whole procedure bearable, and secretly to himself he thanked whoever had blessed him with friends like this.

  


⌒･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*☆  


  


Opening up a new exhibition was truly more tiring than Jaehyun had initially anticipated, and it wasn’t even the setting that had been so strenuous. No, that they had taken care of beforehand and, unsurprisingly, a lot of work was done more efficiently when there were a bunch of alphas who actually worked out a lot. So there had only been some short time in between during which they all had headed home, gotten ready for the night and headed back to the exposition. And then, the actually exhausting part, had been a good five hours of socializing and always again telling the same description or story behind each and every piece. He had felt his tongue turn numb at the halftime mark and he truly admired Minhyuk for being able to go on until the very end without side effects.

Therefore it was no surprise that the whole routine of coming home, shedding off his suit and throwing it carelessly to the side, taking a quick shower and falling into bed without even putting on clothes felt like absolute bliss. But the best part? That was being able to move close to Taeyong and to pull him close until their bodies were flush, the omega’s back to his chest, sheets warm were they laid and the sweet, sweet scent of sugar and almonds and strawberries filling his nose.

For a moment, he even contemplated moving his hand lower, into his mate’s pajama pants to wake him up in the sweetest way possible. His said hand was faster than his brain, fingers edging along the waistband of underwear before he got his senses back. Apparently just in time, for the next thing he knew Taeyong had turned around in his embrace and sleepy eyes were directed at him, bleary from sleep. It made the older look so incredibly adorable, Jaehyun couldn’t help himself as he buried his hand within cotton candy pink hair and pulled his mate into a kiss. Not one entirely void of lust, but considering how sleepy and exhausted they were respectively, there was still an inherent laziness to it, a slow sensuality that might even be better than the greedy desire they had indulged in their early months especially.

Those were the moments he could simply drown in, this serene moment shared between just the two of them. Drag them on forever, when nothing but the two of them mattered. It was perfect and flawless and he didn’t want it to end, so he also didn’t swallow down the whine that escaped him as soon as Taeyong pulled back the slightest bit and thus broke the kiss they shared. 

Before he could dive in for a second round, fingers splayed out across his chest, keeping him on a distance and his omega spoke up, “I thought about it.” Blame it on his hormones and sex crazed mind, for a moment Jaehyun couldn’t connect the dots and it must have shown. “Adoption,” Taeyong elaborated, and it had the alpha’s heart stop for a beat, and for another, but then the older smiled so beautifully and Jaehyun’s heart stopped for a wholly different reason, “Let’s do it.”

It seemed like his brain was up for a restart rather than ready for an immediate reaction, and in a very comedic movie they might even play the Windows melody. But when it settled, when he finally had processed the words his boyfriend, his mate, his great love, had said, he couldn’t help but break into a big grin. “You’ll do it? You’ll start a family with me?”

From how Jaehyun lightly shifted their position and rolled over, on top of Taeyong, he could easily see the affectionate gaze within those endearing honey eyes. “I didn’t realize how serious you were about it when you brought it up… But then I looked through your papers again and…” There was a light blush decorating the omega’s cheeks, the one that spoke of embarrassment, likely because of having gone through his stuff without asking. “And you actually put so much dedication into that, looked up all the data and stuff. I might have also run into Johnny who emphasized how serious you were about that… So I made my decision.”

“Fuck,” Jaehyun grunted, then leaned in for a quick kiss, and another, and added, “There’s no one better than you. I’m sure I’m the luckiest man on earth.” Just to emphasize his point, he pressed several more kisses along the expanse of Taeyong’s neck, making sure to pay extra attention to the overly sensitive bite mark located at the curve to his shoulder. 

Immediately, shudders ran down the omega’s spine, so very palpable to Jaehyun too, who just smiled at the sensitivity of his mate. “Fuck,” he whispered once again, wrapping one arm around the older’s waist to force him into arching his back, bring their hips close together, while the other sneaked beneath his shirt. So much skin, so much of a clear canvas he could still mark up. It made him smile, every whimper he received like a jolt of pleasure shooting down his own body to end between his legs. Sweet noises that only increased when his fingers found one of Taeyong’s nipples, circling it before he pinched and tugged it and lured the most syrupy moans out of those strawberry tasting lips. 

“Let me repay you, baby,” he purred, low in his throat, his fingers tracing the other’s spine before slipping beneath the briefs to push them down. With promise lingering in his eyes, he looked at his omega, before shifting down on the mattress so he could place some kisses along pale thighs. 

Taeyong’s hands easily found their way to his hair, digits gently tugging at his hair. His hair was breathy and higher in pitch from just that little bit as he pointed out, “I still want that dog though…”  
When Jaehyun looked up from between his legs, he could see the older pouting slightly. Truly, too adorable. “Anything you want,” he promised, then pulled off that darn underwear to give his mouth a better task to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! Big thanks to all of you who made it until now, I'm really happy if you managed to reach here and I dearly hope you enjoyed it (*¯ ³¯*)♡ 
> 
> Before I add in all my random ideas, in case you're curious on my escapades I made a [twitter](https://twitter.com/starrymeis) recently and I'd love to talk NCT with y'all! I also have a [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/starrymeis) if you'd rather just shoot me some messages on the quick <strike>I'd really love those and some comments (╥﹏╥) </strike>
> 
> ☆ I did not explicitly state any year or stuff but you can assume that by the beginning of this, it would be autumn/winter and Jaehyun and Taeyong would be 22 and 24 respectively  
☆ I mentioned Minhyuk here because by the time I decided to write this, Minhyuk and Jaehyun became MCs on Inkigayo and I love giving my babies some limelight  
☆ The idea of making Eunseo Johnny's sister overcame me when I watched Night Night and these two dressed in a similar way and nodded in synch and it was just too good??  
☆ As I mentioned in the beginning, too, whether you take it as Sicheng being Kunhang's and Dejun's dad or come up with some other theory is up to you, I intentionally left it ambiguous  
☆ I also researched pregnancy terms a bit to explain why they're twins and when one would be able to survive but I didn't check whether there can be different times of birth for twins so... let's blame this on fiction?  
☆ Same rule actually goes for Taeyong - whether he _could_ get pregnant and is just infertile or it's because of being male is up to your decision too  
☆ I might've made Ten sound a bit bitchy but don't blame him. I'll still come up with a reason for that in another part so just wait up!  
☆ In case I wasn't clear enough, Jungwoo is a beta, Taeyong, Ten and Sicheng are omegas, Yuta, Eunseo, Jaehyun and Johnny are alphas; Minhyuk is also a beta and Wonho is the softest alpha  
☆ There's a chance I've messed up Jaehyun's degree since I kept losing my notes but he's at the end of his Bachelor's and starting his Master's soon  
☆ As it might get swallowed by the story but Jaehyun is an art history major, Taeyong is working as patissiere and achieving his dream of his own bakery, something he does with Sicheng - business major - and Kun - another baking lover. Ten studied fashion design and now has his own label and Johnny works as photographer.


	2. After Renjun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! ٩(｡•́‿•̀｡)۶ 
> 
> Now, believe it or not, for me to finish this whole story within 3 weeks or some is really an impressive trait, considering I've started it in between two or three other wips and especially this chapter I managed to conclude within less than ten days. Congrats, me!
> 
> This is also another round of me thanking Gems, who helped me sort through the order of scenes and threw in some details and cheered me on and all, so give some kudos to her, too, please (づ ◕‿◕ )づ
> 
> To conclude it all, I hope you enjoy this bunch of cute little Renjun scenes. Please keep in mind that we hardly know how they behaved as kids so I treated this with a lot of freedom but still, I tried my best (っ˘̩╭╮˘̩)っ 
> 
> Have fun reading!
> 
> ps: this is by no means an introduction on how to take care of kids so if any of you have experience on that and don't agree with my perspective, please don't scold me too much! ﾍ(･_|

There was always a good and a bad side to things, not always balanced but definitely there was for and against argument for about anything. Just like in their current case. After Taeyong had finally agreed to it (and Jaehyun had made sure to show his gratitude for hours and days), they had settled on an adoption agency that allowed them to go to the orphanages and see what kid they have the best chemistry with. It sounded nice, and it was, for they wouldn’t just get assigned with a child they didn’t know and they got to volunteer at the orphanages too. Even watching his own mate interacting with so many cubs was nothing short of endearing and a big plus, had his fatherly wants satisfied and his instinctual side indulging.

Downside, though, was that so far they had not had found a child that hit them as _the one_. By no means did he want to be mean, but it was like going on a blind date and immediately knowing it wouldn’t result in anything. Like catching someone’s scent and feeling not the least attracted. Even if that kid wasn’t theirs by blood, it could still be _theirs_, and that he still craved. It didn’t help that Taeyong seemed to feel worse with every Monday spent at the different houses, torn between feeling with all the children that lost their families and not daring to say any of them was the one they had been waiting on.

Only last week Jaehyun had seen the older hide some sniffles in his scarf after they left, not wanting to show off his feelings too openly but neither able to deal with it silently when it was the third time in a row now. That night, before the omega could change his mind over a short influx of insecurity, he had made sure to distract his mate plenty and at least, this week it looked a bit brighter again. A sunny smile was on Taeyong’s lips, likely at the prospect of playing with kids once more, all the stress of the bakery left behind, and only joy to be kept for the day.

“Let’s go,” Jaehyun muttered, wrapping his arm around the other’s waist to pull him closer for the second and press a kiss to his mate’s temple, then he maneuvered them inside. It didn’t actually look too different from a dormitory for kids: there was a kitchen, a dining area and some play and study areas on the lower floor, some offices for the grownups too unless there was too little space and they were moved to the first floor instead, and then there would only be the bed- and bathrooms left. Some of the buildings were in a better state, some had evidently missed the developments of the recent years. All were same in the way of being greeted by children yelling in joy, though, a lot of them not attending kindergarten as that would usually surpass the expanses.

With a little pat to the butt he sent Taeyong in first, ignoring the little glare he received from his mate, while he himself remained standing in the door for a little while longer. He usually enjoyed merely observing for the first minutes, watched his boyfriend handle the kids and looked for any distinct differences in how they reacted to Taeyong and Taeyong to them.

This time, though, he couldn’t help letting his gaze travel around a bit, and for that reason he was also able to catch sight of one kid sitting in the corner, all by himself and only drawing with some crayons on the paper. Considering this was the second time they had visited this specific orphanage, he couldn’t help feeling curious, so his gaze remained where it was directed, watching the small boy. It took time, but eventually one of the caretakers noticed where his attention had gone to, and explained without prodding, “His name is Renjun. He was in the hospital until recently because of his circumstances. Actually, he came in not long after you visited. But we can hardly communicate with him, he’s Chinese and none of us know the language and so far we had little success in making him speak Korean too… He can understand parts, though.”

The way her voice went from politeness to pity and then cheer again was understandable, so Jaehyun didn’t protest much, only smiled at her softly. “Can I talk to him, then?” She looked startled but nodded, which was all Jaehyun needed before he did just that. At first, he didn’t say anything, only watched the little boy - Renjun - finish a drawing a flower bouquet that looked a tad too good for his age. But staying on his own, alone in the middle of kids, surely had played a role in that.

After some seconds of digging through his memory for the records of the little Chinese Sicheng had once taught him, he carefully tried, “_Hi, Renjun. How are you?_” While it drew attention from the kid, it wasn’t exactly the one he had expected, for he spent the next several moments repeating that same sentence on the boy’s demand until the younger was seemingly satisfied. Only that Jaehyun didn’t receive a proper answer, only a short hum of acknowledgement and then the crayons were more interesting again.

“_Are you lone- lo- lonely?_” He tried again, and he could swear the gaze he received from the kid was judgmental but rather than receiving an appropriate answer, there was a delay, and then a short little nod. Jaehyun took it as an achievement he was not immediately corrected on his pronunciation this time around.

“_I’ve been too. Before._” Which wasn’t a too nice memory, actually. Moving to America when he was barely a kid, still struggling with the language and feeling alienated by his own peers. But back then, at least he had had someone to keep his back, his parents had been there for him, but Renjun had no one… With a little smile, the most charming he could utter, he signed the kid to wait for a second before he pulled out his phone to message both Kun and Sicheng. Whoever would end up the faster one, would be his hero of the day. (It was Sicheng, for Kun was likelier to stand in the kitchen busy baking.)

Like that, it was a bit easier - tell Sicheng what he wanted to ask, have Sicheng write the translations in Chinese, and then await Renjun’s nonverbal answer. By no means was it the easiest way to converse, there were too many complications, and yet, with every little response from the small boy, he felt his insides melt into warm goo. Just seeing the kid lose his tension and thaw was enough to make his heart squeeze with love, not even questioning whether it would be too soon just yet. So focused on their unique talk, he didn’t even notice what the people around them were busy doing, until he felt warm arms wrap around his shoulders and a small weight leaning against his back. It was easier, with how he was sitting on the floor, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t sensitive to the warm breath against his neck.

“Hi,” Taeyong breathed, and the smile was so very palpable through his voice that Jaehyun didn’t even bother turning around. Instead, he only grabbed one of his mate’s calloused hands and pressed quick kiss to the paint smeared knuckles. “I’m Taeyong and you are?”

Jaehyun wasn’t sure whether the omega had been informed of Renjun’s state of language knowledge, neither did he want to check on that immediately. Instead, it was way interesting to watch the child’s reaction, of big eyes looking at the stranger with suspicion first, then taking in their entanglement, and then some more seconds passed before he answered, “...Renjun.” Barely more than a whisper and yet the sweetest word he had heard from anyone who wasn’t Taeyong.

Whatever there had been about Jaehyun himself, his mate took note of it and then, without hesitation, asked, “Then, pretty Renjun, do you want to come with us?”

The alpha didn’t know what was more endearing at this very moment, the mere fact that Taeyong agreed with him, felt the same or maybe just went along with the younger’s whim, or the way Renjun did not reply, just tore at the paper of the sketchbook and handed them the drawing of the flower bouquet. A drawing that had been sitting around untouched for a while now, nevertheless carried all of the gentleness that was surely resting within the young boy. It warmed Jaehyun’s heart, and within this very second, he decided this was the best day of his life right after the one he got mated to Taeyong.  


  


⌒･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*☆

  


Each and every day of the recent three or so weeks spent with Renjun had been a blessing. The paperwork hadn’t taken as long as they had anticipated, likely because the family in China had given their agreement near immediately (something Jaehyun could not understand, but he was not about to judge them for doing something that was such a blessing to Taeyong’s and his life) and for they had run all other procedures before as well. Still, it had taken a good month and a whole lot of visits at the orphanage, some refreshing their Chinese skills and a handful times they had even been allowed to take Renjun out for a trip to the cinema or some nice restaurant. Fast forward and it felt too easy to adapt to this new situation, to having Renjun at home and drawing some pictures with new crayons or doing puzzles while Jaehyun went through his books, and on days Jaehyun worked, Taeyong would take him along to the bakery they had opened some time ago finally, have the kid play and speak with Sicheng and Kun in their shared mother tongue. Sometimes they even brought some of the Chinese playbooks they had for Sicheng’s twins and Kun’s nephew Yangyang. 

Regardless, the emphasis was put on _day_ indeed. There was no doubt Jaehyun loved this kid, no matter how little time they had yet spent together, but the nightmares were a whole different kind of story. It was a repetitive each and every night, about two hours after putting Renjun to bed, the screaming would start, painful pitched screeches that broke the alpha’s heart each and every night again. All his instincts told him to care and protect for the kid he already accepted as his pup but instead he could only stand by the side and watch over Taeyong calming down Renjun. 

There had been times Jaehyun had tried to calm down their boy but it hadn’t worked as well, maybe his boyfriend’s frame was similar to what Renjun was used to from before, or it was the lingering scent of baked sweets that replaced the soothing pheromones children were not yet sensitive to. They had also asked the little one to spend the nights with them and sleep in their bed until they would recede but, fact was, they had not yet. And as much as Jaehyun wanted to say he couldn’t understand, wanting to scold the boy at times, he couldn’t. Because he, too, understood this feeling a tad too well, not wanting to rely on someone else too much, not admit too many of his flaws.

One might argue, he didn’t have many of those - objectively seen, he was great, after all! - but there were still tendencies easier and harder to carry outside. Like, his standing up for omegas and encouraging them to speak their mind no matter what did not mean he was about to shout into the world how he loved cooking when he was about to be looked down upon for that by at least half the alpha population. Thus it was something Jaehyun could most definitely get behind, wanting to overcome it on his own.

“Ma! Ma…” Renjun still shouted and whined even while pressing his face into Taeyong’s chest, sobs wrecking that tiny puppy of his and then it took some more minutes of succumbing to trembling sleep. Hugged tight to the omega, Jaehyun already bid goodbye to the idea of cuddling to his mate for the older had already dozed off as well. Instead, he went to turn on the small nightlight, the one with a lampshade of a rocket departing to the moon that turned around slowly to put a play on the walls and that Renjun had so enthusiastically chosen, and then left the two alone to head back to the master bedroom of his own.

On the way, he not only noticed all the little traces the kid had left in their lives already - the study had been made into the child’s bedroom, so their books were now on shelves on the hallway with toys spersed in between because they hadn’t wanted to clutter their living room too much, small drawings were taped to the lowest of the shelves that were still above Renjun’s height, courtesy of their very son, a soft toy was resting between the pillows on their bed - but also pondered how tragic the accident must have been for Renjun to still be haunted like this. Jaehyun had heard about it when he had talked to the headmistress of the orphanage, and had been told the whole story first, about the car accident and the lone survivor being rejected by his remaining family… As if losing his parents hadn’t been horrible enough.

When before he had been more than ready to give the kid of their choosing the best possible life, after hearing about Renjun’s backstory, he had been willing to offer double and thrice the effort. There was so much innocence and love within this small body, he didn’t want it to go to waste over the despair of being alienated in a country he hadn’t chosen to remain in on his own. Instead, this was supposed to be their son’s best life, and he was up to do whatever was needed to make it come true.

But first, he really needed to find a cure for these nightmares… Maybe he should call in at a child psychologist’s sometime soon. After he had gotten his well deserved but kind of lonely sleep that had him smell his mate by hugging his pillow alone. (Truthfully, he had never been good at sleeping alone, always wanting to hug something close to his body, like blankets or pillows, and now he was just too used to sleeping next to Taeyong that this felt truly pathetic. But! Renjun came first! His son was important too!)  


  


⌒･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*☆

  


To an extent, Jaehyun considered it mean - his own mate owned _Dreamy’s_ but he was still not allowed inside. Instead, he had to wait outside during his lunch break and hope for Taeyong to come out to meet him and maybe get him a coffee to go. Bottom of things was, though, that it was his boyfriend’s concept, it was a place for omegas and betas and especially parents with their children to go. Which also indirectly excluded alphas, something especially he wanted to respect so short after the opening.

Much as he disliked having to wait outside at times, he couldn’t deny it allowed him something special, to observe sometimes Taeyong but especially Renjun when behaving freely. Some days their little boy just sat at one of the tables in the play area - a place dedicated to the children especially, everything put there in an appropriate size, with a carpet for them to roll around on with their shoes off and some games prepared - and drew something or caught up on his little Korean lessons from notes Sicheng had used for his twins too. Other days he could catch Taeyong playing with Renjun, too, or Yangyang on days he didn’t attend kindergarten. Recently, though, there had been another development.

Jaehyun had first heard about his little boy having made friends from Sicheng, who usually manned the counter when not busy looking through the finances and the planning. Apparently, it had been the sons of two customers who had quickly become regulars at the store. Something about the caretaking parents working part-time only and wanting to spend time with their kids too, instead of just putting them to the daycare. In a way, it was similar to what Jaehyun and Taeyong did too, except they hesitated because of the language barrier still. And even then, it was not much longer until they could send him into elementary school anyways.

Back to the matter at hand, these two kids apparently were more zealous than most others before (with the exception of Yangyang maybe). Sicheng had reported him the first time they had started talking to Renjun, and then the next time again, and by now they taught Renjun some new words every once in a while and lead little conversations with him, on a level that was way closer to his than his parents could ever be. And at the moment they were an adorable sight to be watched from the window, observing them in their little play area while crouched down on the floor. Coming by had been spontaneous but now he couldn’t bring himself to regret it, not even if it meant being late to work by a bit. Minhyuk was easy to facilitate with some pictures of Renjun having chocolate ice cream all over his face anyways.

For now, he was much rather content with getting some attention from his son finally, who had spotted him at the window and promptly moved over. Adorable little thing, truly. His digits put together, he pressed his fingertips against the glass for the pup to mirror and in the little distance he could see the two new friends curiously observe them. They were cute, adorable even, but that was nothing he could say to his son through the window so instead, he nodded into their direction and then, with his free hand, forced the corners of his mouth up and then down. Happy or sad. Renjun just smiled and it warmed Jaehyun’s heart.

Or would have, were there not a few suspicious glances thrown into his direction that even prompted Sicheng to leave his place behind the counter and come out to the door to call, “Jaehyun, should I fix you a coffee?”

Although not voluntarily, Jaehyun took that as his cue to stop his procrastination. With a grateful smile he turned to his best friend and nodded, “Can you get me the usual? And can you tell Taeyong I’ll pick them up after work?” 

Sicheng only gave him a curt nod and would have disappeared back into the café, if not for the little whirlwind rushing past him and with a loud “Baba!” crashed into him. Thank Renjun for being a lightweight or it might have sent even Jaehyun toppling over, who only looked down a little surprised before picking up his son and balancing him against his hip. Did he ever point out just how weak he was towards the boy’s wide and innocent eyes? “Baba! Jaemin, Jaeno good friends! Can play together?”

Did he mention just how adorable even Renjun’s clumsy Korean and accent were? Undoubtedly his son learned fast, faster than Sicheng had grown used to the language as kids were simply impressive in that way, and it was merely fortunate it aided Jaehyun in understanding it well. “Not now, bugles. But what do you say, shall we ask Mama to arrange for a playdate for all of us? I’m sure we can find something fun for all of us to do together, hm?” With a smile, he poked his son’s nose, who only giggled in return.

Through the window, he could see the two other boys look at their friend and some _stranger_ curiously, albeit once Renjun waved at them excitedly, they too started smiling. It was endearing, the gummy smile of one and the more subdued one of the other. Jaehyun got the appeal, and he was happy his son had made friends even without going to some social institution like kindergarten. 

“Mama!” The kid called out when a scent wave of baked goods hit them, already stretching his arms out towards Taeyong who approached them, paper cup in his hands. Although a bit clumsy, the adults managed the exchange of the omega taking the child while Jaehyun took his coffee and pressed a quick kiss to his mate’s forehead. “Mama! Playdate! Baba say we play fun with Jaeno, Jaemin!”

“We have fun,” Taeyong corrected gently and hugged his son closer, leaving traces of flour on the boy’s sweater from where he held on. “Shall we do that? Have fun with Jeno and Jaemin?” Lightly he jostled Renjun in his arms who only clung tighter onto the baker, allowing Taeyong to focus on Jaehyun for the moment. “Let’s talk about this at night, alright?”

“I’ve marinated some short ribs for dinner in the morning,” the alpha smiled, and shortly pecked Renjun’s forehead while simultaneously ruffling his son’s black hair. “Should I get something else during my break?”

“No need. I can’t await later.” The omega smiled, and their pinkies linked for a second as a farewell. But the longer Jaehyun lingered the likelier he was to get late to work himself so this time around he stopped stalling for time to actually head to work (bitter as it was to leave behind his boyfriend and kid).

  


Nothing felt better than the moment they could leave behind nearly all of the stress of the day, or just forget about it for some while, as they settled around their dining table altogether. It was perfect, all his dreams come true, with the love of his life sat opposite him and their kid to their side, perfectly maneuvering his chopsticks with his little hands and nibbling on the ribs that were still steaming hot.  
“Mom wants to meet Renjun as soon as possible,” Jaehyun pointed out as he put some of the meaty bones on his mates plate, looking for the especially juicy parts to keep the older well fed. As much as he was all pro emancipation and encouraging omegas in their chase for more and better social standing, that did not mean he couldn’t look out for his boyfriend in such simple ways. Not to mention how adorable Taeyong’s subtle blush had been during the first times he had done so, embarrassed as if there hadn’t been a lot of alphas to look out for him like that before. During those times, he had also promised himself to look out for the omega to the best of his abilities at all times. 

“_Nainai_?” Renjun asked from the side, eyes wide and sauce smeared all over his mouth and chin, some even having color the tip of his nose. Jaehyun hummed in approval, prompting the child to clap his hands enthusiastically. “Want meet!”

“We will,” Taeyong promised, reaching over to wipe some of the sauce off his already messy face. Then, the omega looked at the student and added, “I’ve also talked to Jaemin’s and Jeno’s parents. They promised to talk to their partners and will tell me their answers soon but they suggested a day trip to the beach in summer as it might be easiest to arrange.”

“Hm, sounds good.” Jaehyun smiled, and ate for a bit as he considered it for a moment. The idea was charming, going out with the kids for a whole day, using the chance to get to meet the other two’s parents and the caretaking was also easier, six parents easily paying better attention to three kids than only half or less of them. “Should we go ask Johnny to go swim with us to get you trained for the beach, bugles?”

As it was new vocabulary, Jaehyun wasn’t entirely sure Renjun understood all he said, yet simply hearing uncle John’s name was enough to have their kid perk up. Unfair as it might seem, keeping both Johnny and Ten out of their shared life was harder than inviting their parents in, considering Taeyong wasn’t close to his mother anymore and the alpha’s were busier than it might seem, their schedules not as easily arranged to match as it was with their best friends with a joint routine of years. 

“Oh!” Taeyong suddenly exclaimed, startling both Jaehyun and Renjun into looking at him. “Jaeminnie came up to me today to propose to our baby here! He said something like, ‘Was that a bad wizard? Can Nana turn into a white knight to save Injunnie and make him Nana’s princess?’”

The gears working within Renjun’s little head were all too obvious as his eyes darted around a bit, thinking hard, and then he said, “Nono lonely. No want Nono lonely.”  
It took a second for Jaehyun to translate this little gibberish but when he did, he couldn’t help the little smile erupting on his face. His eyes darted over to his mate and he asked, “I guess our little boy here will become quite the flirt later on if he came this far so fast.”

“You think they’ll stick around this long?” Taeyong pointed out, considerate of the future, always on the lookout for possibilities that were yet to come. They both had a tendency to think to overthink, each in their own way. Jaehyun was always too focused on the past, on other people, on what they thought of him, and Taeyong always thought of what could happen, fifty possibilities that would each and all not happen. 

“If they do,” Jaehyun hummed, putting on a smile as innocent as possible, “You think I’ll just hand Renjun over to them?” The idea alone irked him out, similar and yet different to the idea of sharing his own mate. Taeyong was someone he’d never give away, his other half, his most prized affiliate, but if someone wanted to approach Renjun, his destined child, the kid they had chosen and who had chosen them, it would need to be someone worthy of it. Not just someone wanting to be _a white knight saving his princess_.

“You sure won’t,” the omega smiled, purred nearly, a mischievous glint in his eyes that gave all the wrong signals to Jaehyun. With a grunt he fell back in his chair, shooting his mate a warning look when Renjun spoke up, “Mama, will me be a princess?”

Jaehyun crushed the bone he had suckled on between his teeth, eyes widening in surprise as he looked at Taeyong. In his opinion, if Renjun decided to want to be something else than he had been before, he wouldn’t mind (albeit in this case he wasn’t certain their son understood the difference in gender just yet), they had chosen Renjun for being Renjun not a checklist of traits they had wanted to fulfill.  
The older just smiled, swiftly fluffing up the kid’s black hair. “You can be anything you want, baby. Just tell us when and we’ll try to make all your dreams come true.”

“Promise,” Jaehyun added on, poking Renjun’s nose gently. “And now eat up. Don’t just let some knight save you without having put up a fight first, bugles.”  


  


⌒･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*☆

  


It was funny, how fast time seemed to fly. Without noticing, they had already approached summer and summer also meant Taeyong’s birthday, a happy occasion not only for Jaehyun. The omega’s was not actually the first birthday for them o celebrate, they had cheered on Renjun only shortly after his arrival, had gone to eat the Chinese food he missed so much and learned to sing in their son’s native language. Yet it had been a small party only, they hadn’t dared overwhelm the newest addition to their family with too many people around, had made sure to introduce the kid slowly to each and every member to all their friends.

So Taeyong’s birthday actually meant a big celebration and a big celebration also meant a big present. In this specific case, it meant that Jaehyun had remembered his previous promise to his mate, even if he wasn’t about to keep it with one hundred percent integrity. Instead, his way prefered solution had been to cut short on his study time, get Renjun dressed, and head to the pet store he had researched in advance.

All that lead up to this current moment of walking around the shop with a tiny hand clutching around his pinky and rushed steps to keep up with his longer legs. It was nothing short of endearing to watch his son being impressed and fascinated with all the pets around, especially the dogs that were the very aim of their trip. 

In front of a pen that held a bunch of different dogs, Jaehyun finally stopped and crouched down to be on eye level with Renjun. “I’ve looked it up, bugles, and I thought if we buy a dog for home, we should do something good, too, hm? So all of them” - he made a circling motion with his free hand to summarize the dogs in the pen - “are from the shelter, actually. They were treated back to health and are now up for sale again. What do you say, bugles? Does that sound nice?”

“Shelter?” The kid repeated, eyes big as he looked from Jaehyun to the dogs and back again. There his little orbs darted around, scanning over the different breeds that, surprisingly, were still a bunch of pure breds, until he stopped at one in the corner. One chubby little finger was soon raised to point at it, and he exclaimed, “Ears!”

“A shelter is where the pets go when their families decided to no longer want them,” Jaehyun explained softly, following the little pointing gesture that lead to a dog not looking unlike one he had seen from a Disney movie in his own childhood, The Fox and the Hound. Floppy ears and spotted fur, it looked more like a couch potato than an active dog from how it was resting on a blanket in the corner. But its eyes were warm nonetheless, a deep and gentle brown. 

“We not send Ears to shelter, Baba?” Renjun asked, Korean still as clumsy as always and still filling the alpha’s chest with warmth.

“We won’t,” he promised but didn’t hesitate to wave over an employee when he saw them. The young beta girl was quick to be by their side and introduce them to the dog Renjun had chosen - a four year old basset hound, gentle in nature and rather slow on the reactions - and were allowed to play with some time later. It was easy to see how well the dog got along with the kid and in all honesty, as long as it made Renjun happy, he doubted Taeyong would mind not having chosen their new pet. That would be another promise he had to keep.

(Just because they were already at it, they ended up buying all the necessities for Er, as Renjun had started to call the young lady, including a fashionable collar and leash the child had chosen and proudly carried through the store. He might have been the happiest when he had been allowed to lead Er down the isles to the check-out at the end of their trip, though, after their cart had been filled and all paperwork taken care of.)

Being at the store had taken longer than anticipated so Jaehyun felt relief flood him when considering he had already gotten them dressed in advance, looking posh and proper for the dinner with their friends and, in Yuta’s and Sicheng’s case, their kids at Taeyong’s favorite restaurant. Coincidentally, it was the one Jaehyun had taken the omega to during their first big date, when he had tried to woo the older with more than just coffee and cake, instead going all out on the date scale to get this table at a pricey place with European cuisine and imported wine and all that jazz. They still went there for at least their anniversaries and Taeyong’s birthdays, and luckily, they had allowed Jaehyun to bring a dog considering they had been regulars for years now. 

Still, there was enough time to spare that he allowed himself to turn to his son in the passenger seat and ask, “Shall we go get something sweet on the way, bugles? There’s still some time before we need to be at the restaurant and there’s this great rice cake vendor nearby, you remember?” Instantly Renjun’s eyes started to sparkle, big and bright, and he enthusiastically nodded his head. “Shall we also stop by a stationary store and buy a birthday card for Yongie? We can write into it while waiting then.”

Maybe not understanding it all, Renjun was still delighted with the suggestions, and his eyes actually dared pop out when they entered the stationary first. It was always the same once the kid spotted anything related to drawing, painting and art, albeit this time their focus was to be put on the gift cards and gel pens they would need to write into it. Or rather, Jaehyun had to write and Renjun would likely add in some little sketches and regardless he was certain it would be the best card for Taeyong to ever have received.

“Er! This or that?” The boy called excitedly, holding two cards out to the dog resting heavily within his dad’s arms but the bitch showed little to no interest, not even attempting to give a reaction. Which therefore cued the little boy to pull up one card after another until, finally, Er made a little sound that seemed to be approval enough for Renjun, and the perfect signal for them to pick up a bag of pens and a little sketchbook for Renjun. Compared to the pet store, it was a minimal bill, but Jaehyun had long since resigned to his fate of spending most of his earnings on Taeyong’s birthday anyways, and he had never regret it anyways.

How could he even, when Renjun smiled so brightly at the notion of having a dog to play with and some new papers to draw on, when Taeyong got all teary eyed when being presented with a dog and all their friends’ love and appreciation and a bunch of sweet words left the baker’s mouth? It was impossible to regret it when each and every year he could see how much it touched his mate’s heart and brought happiness upon the omega, because making that his highest priority had been the sole aim he had committed himself to when he had mated Taeyong. Renjun was a golden cherry on top, and Er a bunch of sprinkles grated off diamond.  


  


⌒･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*☆

  


It didn’t happen often that Taeyong was gone for the night, actually, it rarely ever happened and for certain it hadn’t happened ever since Renjun had come to stay with them. But this time it was for a special reason, for his sister had booked them a weekend retreat as a birthday gift and thus Jaehyun was alone with Renjun. Not that he minded much, actually, except for the part of missing his mate absurdly much and his lower instincts going crazy over not knowing whether or not Taeyong was doing well, it wasn’t too bad: Renjun was well behaved mostly, except that one time he got really petulant and sulky over wanting to visit Nono and Nana at the bakery (where they thus went and Renjun remained in Sicheng’s care whilst Jaehyun took care of some things), and they even allowed themselves to laze around a bit, ordering in rather than cooking and leaving the living room a mess when going to bed since Taeyong and his urge for cleanliness weren’t any longer present.

But it had brought one surprising change for Jaehyun in the very distinct shape of Renjun asking whether he could stay the night, clutching onto his oversized fox plushie and dressed in his striped pajamas and, honestly, how was Jaehyun supposed to say no? That would be one impossible task. So instead, his smile grew as he made room for his kid in the bed, the nightlights only illuminating the room and at least the one on Taeyong’s, or rather Renjun’s, side would remain alight throughout the night anyways. 

His son, in perfect order, had been first to get ready for bed, had brushed his teeth properly and Jaehyun knew, because he had washed his hands after paying a visit to the toilet. It was a stark contrast to him, a cup of tea on his nightstand and still in his cozy loungewear rather than the pajamas, still laying on top of the blankets while Renjun had already cuddled into the blankets smelling of sugar and warmth and home. At least to his kid, for him it still carried the scent of perfectly baked macarons and sweet tea. Just that he, different to his son, was still reading for a while longer, not yet burying his face into a stuffed animal, or one of Taeyong’s pillows.

For a while there was the same sort of serenity again, just them remaining quiet, breathing, the little thuds of Er walking into the room and climbing the little staircase to her bed that they had placed at the lower end of the human sized one. A mirror image of it was in Renjun’s room, too, where she actually spent most nights thanks to how much these two cuddled and spent time with each other. The silence between them was only broken when little fingers tugged at Jaehyun’s shirt, calling for his attention that he was readily giving to his son and signalling so by bopping his nose in the usual manner.  
“Baba, story!” Wide eyes blinked at him expectantly and his heart melted within his chest, hands moving immediately to tug his bookmark - an old note Taeyong had written him and that he got laminated at a copy shop in a sentimental moment - between the pages and put his reading aside.

“I’ll just go and brush my teeth and then I’ll tell you one,” he promised, leaned in to press a short but loud kiss to his kid’s forehead that had Renjun giggling into his fox. Too cute! He smiled at his son as he made his way out of the room, petting Er in the passing, and then hurried to get ready for bed indeed. It was easier to do it now, the whole bathroom and pajamas routine, rather than cuddling up with Renjun and then jostling his kid awake by having to still do it later. He could still read with the little weight on his chest but there was no telling Renjun could sleep with his moving around.

It took but a handful minutes to go through the apartment, toothbrush in his hands, and check every appliance and get rid of anything putting them in danger of tripping or stumbling, and then another few moments to exchange his sweats and tee for a simple muscle shirt. The best moment remained hitting the mattress and being able to pull another body against his, usually Taeyong but Renjun was the best replacement he could ever wish for anyways. And Renjun might as much of a cuddler as Jaehyun was, easily snuggling up until they were chest to chest with only the plushie between them and the slight weight of a small head was resting on his arm. 

“What story should we talk today, hm?” He asked, acting especially thoughtfully when, as ironic as it might seem, it had never been his problem to come up with one. Ironic because Taeyong was the baker, the creative one, and Jaehyun was the art student, the thinker, not a maker, but stories were easier for him than his mate. So it was also his task. “Did I tell you about fat Mr Seo yet?”

Renjun, softly, shook his head, making Jaehyun smile as he went on, “So fat Mr Seo was a funny little alien from the planet Jelly-Xo. He was actually just a bunch of green slime but he was an impressive bunch of green slime! And one day, the king of Jelly-Xo came to him and told him, ‘Oh, dear my Seo! We have a big, big problem!’ And Mr Seo replied, ‘Oh great king! Just what is it to bother you in your own lands?’ So the king started telling…

There had been a bunch of intergalactic criminals do mischief for a while now, going from planet to planet and galaxy to galaxy. Nobody knew what they wanted but they all recognized when they had been around again - they left behind oddly colored cookies that made those who ate them float around like balloons!” (Renjun looked shocked, and repeated with a gasp, “Cookies!”) “So these criminals had been secretly dubbed FlyV and the king requested of fat Mr Seo, ‘Oh, dear my Seo, I fear they will come here next… I fear they will terrorize our kingdom too, and sent our innocent citizens flying up so high!’”

The boy, so focused on the story he was told, had become nearly immobile and Jaehyun might even be concerned if not for the highly attentive glint in Renjun’s eyes. But the frozen state also had a good side to it, increased the chance of getting drowsy already soon. 

“So far Mr Seo went to fulfill his dear king’s wish. He searched the country and all the secret hiding spots they had, the landing ports of spaceships, just to find these space criminals. But guess his surprise! It had not been too long of travelling around did he find an obscenely glittery spaceship!”

“Like uncle Ten’s shirts?” His son asked, eyes big and bright, a spark of mischief in the most innocent ways.

“Like uncle Ten’s horrendous shirts,” Jaehyun agreed, because those glitter tops had been horrible, especially when they had been on a night out and he had been dead drunk and the sequins had reflected the club lights in all the worst ways. “But this is not about uncle Ten’s shirts, bugles!” In an exaggerated way, he puffed out his cheeks and nudged Renjun’s nose softly, who only giggled and buried his face in his stuffed fox’s neck again.

“I miss Mama…” The boy muttered, and Jaehyun would have been worried about it if not for the attentive look he was thrown. Clearly, Renjun was expecting the story to go on and yet it came no surprise to the alpha that, only a few mere sentences in, the kid was already dozing off. An evening spent like this, even when without his beloved mate by his side, seemed nearly perfect, was what he had always dreamed off. It made him smile, as he kissed Renjun’s forehead and reached for his book again. He was not yet as tired and the night was still young, even if they had to to meet Johnny and Ten for brunch the next day. Luckily, a new day also meant Taeyong might call him again.

(Quite surprisingly, it was the first night Renjun did not have nightmares to wake him up at night. The exact reason as to why it turned out that way was unclear to Jaehyun, but Er and him both were quite pleased by this turn of events. Taeyong, actually, not so much when Jaehyun told him the next morning on the phone, before Renjun and he had to leave to the restaurant to meet up with Johnny and Ten, and his mate was still sulking about having missed this kind of breakthrough just because of one birthday retreat. The following nights, too, their son didn’t wake up screaming from nightmares, and they slowly trickled out entirely before winter hit them again.)  


  


⌒･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*☆

  


“Fat Mr Seo! Fat Mr Seo!” Renjun happily called out as he jumped through the restaurant and out onto the little terrace to find Johnny and Ten already expecting them there. It was always exhilarating to see these two greet the kid welcome, with Johnny usually heaving him up and letting him experience things from “high above” and Ten bringing yet another little piece of clothing or some accessory he had made in between. (Yuta had already complained about Ten being biased towards Renjun and neglecting their twins but the short omega had been quick to rebut that Jaehyun had already done enough to get the two older kids spoiled to no ends. The ukulele remained proof of that.)

“Who’s fat Mr Seo?” Ten asked, a suspicious little glint in his eyes as if he was exactly knowing what they had been talking about, in this case, about Jaehyun slandering his very own best friend within the confines of their home, and especially The Tales of Fat Mr Seo had recently become a fan favorite.

“Green slime!” Renjun whooped in joy but his bright expression quickly changed to a pout when Johnny let him down again. When the giant noticed, and it was kind of like David versus Goliath but with a pout as weapon rather than a swing, he easily jumped into making amends and their little story ended with Renjun being perked on Johnny’s lap while they went over the menu together. The kid had a black hole for a stomach, Jaehyun was certain.

“Just someone we met recently,” the younger alpha tried to make amends, his face a perfect display of innocence and impassiveness and he was only glad his hair was long enough to cover up the red tips of his ears. 

“He’s obsessed with that title,” Taeyong added on, speaking it like a secret which, in a way, it actually was. Because the omega had already listened in on their bedtime stories that sent Renjun off to dreamland better than any sleeping pill ever could and recently he had also toddled into the kitchen of the café and proudly presented his Ma a drawing of green slime and some clumsy Hangul reading the ominous name. Albeit Jaehyun had already described the other participants of the story, too, the kid seemed to only be interested in Fat Mr Seo anyways.

“Ma, Baba!” Renjun interrupted their talk cheerily, but even a loud Renjun was never the kind of loud as many other kids were. Even Dejun was louder than their kid most days, and that actually said a lot about it all. “Pancakes. Berries. Chocolate.”

The boy’s smile was nothing short of endearing but Jaehyun still felt grateful to Johnny for translating, “He wants the pancakes, and the red berries souffle and a hot chocolate to drink.” And the younger alpha didn’t even need to look at his mate to know Taeyong was paling at the mentioned onslaught of sugar. These two were kind of similar in that matter, give them too much sugar and they would be stuck on a high for hours, which seemed more than just ironic considering the omega worked as a baker and patissiere and Renjun spent his days surrounded by all these treats. Johnny, ever so empathic, must have caught on to that quickly and put on his best pouty face as he looked at the kid, “Junnie-ya, uncle John is really hungry too but also really wants this breakfast set. Don’t you want to share with me?”

“Share pancakes and berries too?” Renjun asked, pushing his lower lip out in a jut and when Johnny nodded, seemed to consider it for a moment, checking the menu once again and, once deeming it worthy, gave a decisive nod. Then he climbed off the older’s lap and instead moved into his seat at the end of the table, pulling a stuffed animal out of his backpack to pull close to his chest and cuddle whilst he listened to the adults go on.

At least, to the very reassurance of Jaehyun’s empty stomach, Renjun’s prodding had accelerated their checking the menu to find what each of them wanted, Taeyong not surprisingly choosing a similarly sweet breakfast as their son had chosen. Which had been great before, considering Taeyong on a sugar high could channel his energies into about any activity, much to his depraved desires’ delight, but now the prospect of both Taeyong and Renjun being like that seemed dreadful. 

“Before I forget,” Johnny started in between their drinks getting served and Renjun trying to spoon the whipped cream on top of his hot chocolate, “Yuta is whining again, complaining about us keeping on excluding him. So I promised we’d go rock climbing with him in the afternoon.”

“Sounds nice.” It did, it really did. Considering they were actually really close to Yuta, they had recently hit a lull in their friendship for more than one reason, first and foremost that Jaehyun had been the one to adopt a kid now and put more time into it. Add to it he had turned into a working student, there was even less time for fun. Meeting Johnny was both easier and harder, at least that couple went to the frat parties mostly regularly still but the alpha also was a photographer on the rise, and considering Yuta had two kids at home, partying sure wasn’t the best idea anymore. 

At least Sicheng was someone Jaehyun still got to see on the regular, and he had known Sicheng before Yuta so no surprise there that they were closer, actually. But that didn’t exactly aid his case as it only fed ammunition to the third alpha within their cycle that there was indeed a bias and it was not for him. 

“Sicheng is taking the twins to the café today, I think he was inspired by you,” Johnny added on, then pointed at Jaehyun’s little rascal, “And Ten is going to sacrifice himself and watch that one movie with Taeyong and Renjun later. So we got a whole day to ourselves and there’s no going back now.”

“Movie?” Fireworks seemed to explode in Renjun’s eyes at the mention of it, all big and shiny as he directed his gaze at Ten. “One near… that-” He made some grand gestures, stuck between a square and a circle. “Shops! Toys and clothes and Ma and sweets and-”

“The mall?” Taeyong interrupted and the boy shouted in glee for having been understood. Except it was actually muffled from how close he held his plushie after nearly having dropped it.

“Want a Fat Mr Seo story! Renjun want read!” 

Taeyong, after hearing this, turned to look at Jaehyun helplessly but the alpha, too, could only shrug his shoulders. The Tales of Fat Mr Seo were most definitely not a book but chances were Renjun would be too distracted in a store anyways to remember it then. So to his boy Jaehyun said, “I’m sure we can find something great!” But then he turned to Taeyong and whispered with a smile, “Just get him one about aliens and he should be good.” Because otherwise they might stuck in a loop for moon knew how stubborn Renjun could be. 

“I think so too, yeah…” The omega said with a little twist on his face, their hopes most definitely not outweighing their worries about having to fight a temper tantrum of their son. They had had only one so far, when Ten had asked for Renjun to model for one of his fashion lines and they had denied the request but the boy had overheard it and then insisted he do it. It had taken hours to try to calm down their son but in the end, they had needed to give in and now there was a short portfolio with pictures of Renjun stuck somewhere in Ten’s studio meant for only select customers. Because, as the designer himself had said, “Moon forbid I actually work with these pests. Then I’d have screaming kids in my store year around. Ew, no.” (Jaehyun still insisted the only reason Ten liked Renjun was because of a) the puppy eyes that were not too different from Johnny’s and b) for actually being well behaved and not screaming a lot.)

With their food arriving and Renjun lighting up like a Christmas tree their conversations took yet another turn, only that this time around it was easier to indulge in the slight banter often times overcoming them. This was what Jaehyun loved, actually, the easy way they could maneuver around within their cycle of friends and albeit there was a distinct difference in activities between them all, mostly because Johnny and him had always had a different routine and their boyfriends had merely joined in, or because Yuta and Sicheng had always been further ahead in the family thing than any of them. But there had never really been conflicts because of it, and that made it so perfect. He wouldn’t want it any other way.  


  


⌒･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*☆

  


Ever since the beach had come into view, Renjun had been glued to the car window, and now that they had parked and stepped out, there was nothing but Taeyong’s hand holding back the small boy. That and the omega pointing out, “If we don’t wait here, how are we supposed to meet the others, baby?”

Immediately Renjun froze in his position, eyes wide as he looked up at his parent, and from behind the car Jaehyun couldn’t help snorting in amusement. It was just so Renjun to have an evident preference in the things he liked and _Nono and Nana_ most definitely came before beach time. Maybe the combination of both might have even amped the motivation of the small one up all the more, especially after the last time had been so much fun. 

True to their promise, Taeyong’s regulars had come back to him quite fast and after arranging a date, it had also turned out to be a beautiful day. As Jaehyun had previously assumed, it was easier to watch over the kids when there were more people around, more parents knowing what to do and as long as the three children stuck close together - what they mostly did anyways - even just one might have been sufficient at those times and to the others it was the best kind of relaxation after some long days too.

But as much as it had been a great time, it hadn’t been hard to see how there had been complications too. The other parents were older than them, Jaehyun had been by far the youngest, and their experiences were different to theirs, bearing a child wasn’t the same as adopting one, after all. So as much as it had been enjoyable, there had been equally as many awkward moments too. Which was the reason as to why it had been such a surprise to the student to so quickly be asked for another day out at the beach by the other parents, no matter how much fun their kids had had.

“Are you excited already, bugles?” Jaehyun asked, after he had rounded the car and dropped their bag of supplies, the machine beeping shortly as he locked it blindly. From a distance, they could hear the waves rushing softly and some stray seagull screeching but thanks to it being a weekday, it wasn’t actually as loud as it could have been, less people around as too many and especially the adults had to work. In that aspect, being your own boss or being a student came in handy, being able to arrange your own schedule and not having fixed busy times every and all day. “Looking forward to playing around a lot today again?”

“Want play!” Renjun rejoiced, loud and delighted, and threw up both of his arms even when it meant having to throw around Taeyong’s limbs. Twice, thrice he jumped up a bit, then tiptoed to try and spot either of the already familiar cars, just another proof of the excitement that had been evident ever since they had reminded Renjun of today’s plans over breakfast and the boy had insisted to wear his swim shorts since morning just so he could run into the waves as soon as possible, not wanting to have to care about changing and all that.

Luckily it didn’t take much longer for the already seen car to approach them, moving into a parking slot close to theirs, and then two little whirlwinds were already busy jumping out and running over. Taeyong could do little more than let go of Renjun, too, who was already crashed by the two other boys as they all tumbled across the floor in an all too excited greeting. That much was actually normal, so Jaehyun paid it little thought as long as none of them was wailing in pain or crying out loud. 

Something rather unusual was the young man stepping out of the car next and looking no better than a panicked parent, rushing over to the boys rolling across the ground, until he realized they were laughing not screeching. Only then did he gather himself and their gazes met, the lack of scent clearly indicating of his gender but as much as it was missing, the strong eyes seemed to be all the more present. “You must be Jaehyun and Taeyong, right? I’m so sorry it’s short notice but there was a meeting at the company suddenly so my parents asked me to come in their state and then Jaemin’s parents said something, like, ‘Let the youngsters spend the day together’ but I’m not actually that great with kids.”

It was moments like these Jaehyun felt especially grateful for Taeyong and his diplomacy, because whilst all the younger did was shake hands and herd the kids together, the omega led the conversation and politely asked about the company and how work went and all. If he had to be honest, the alpha already had some suspicions it wasn’t actually that easy, not just a matter of companies and work. Actually, evidence of that already was the way it had been phrased, to give the “youngsters” some time together. 

At the moment, that also meant giving the youngest ones some time together, their little feet carrying them forward fast and when they deemed to have found a good enough place to stay, they stopped with yells of “Baba!” and “Uncle Jae!” while waving their arms, before their shirts were discarded and their way went on towards the waves. Jaehyun himself only shortly checked after his mate and their new companion who were a little distance behind them, before dropping the bag at that place once Taeyong had given him one decisive nod. Similarly to the kids, he got rid of his top before running after them, catching them in the low water and there, he wrapped his arms around his kid and lifted Renjun up high into the air. “Bugles is a fast one, isn’t he?” He laughed, and did a little throw to submerge the kid in the water who only screeched in delight. From there it was a repetitive move, playing around with all three and throwing them into the water repetitively until all of them were worn out to the point of demanding a little break. Their decision was emphasized, too, when Taeyong waved a box of cookies and fruits to lure them out into the dry area again, where they were all allowed to eat but only with sunscreen protecting their bare skin from the harsh sun. 

With the kids distracted by the treats and Taeyong, it was easier for Jaehyun to find time to assess the other man for a bit. The beta - and he unfortunately couldn’t remember his name - was roughly their age but he had never been too great at assessing that. Still, he could vaguely remember Jeno’s parents having mentioned an older brother and that Jeno had been such a blissful surprise to them, but never had he anticipated their age difference to be quite that grand. For another moment he eyed the beta and then asked, “Will we be seeing more of you in the future?”

Doyoung, as Taeyong whispered to him later in private, seemed to catch on to his thoughts quickly, making a face at the realization of that. “Mom thought you two were cute and actually thought you’re doing better than they did with me but dad… I think he kind of hit a midlife crisis thanks to you now.” There was actually an undertone of malicious glee in these words but as an outsider, Jaehyun couldn’t exactly catch on to the joke it withheld.

“I’ve always wanted to have family early,” the alpha admitted, had always considered it as more comfortable to open up to betas. With other alphas there often times was underlying pressure, no one wanted to seem weak, no one wanted to give room for attacks, and even with Johnny or Yuta it had taken months to become comfortable. And omegas, on the other side, sometimes took it the wrong way, had thought he was opening up because he was asking for more, willing to offer something that was already reserved for Taeyong anyways. It was mixed signals again and again, but betas - betas were easy, they didn’t get too aggressive and neither too demure, they didn’t interpret too much into everyday matters and words. 

“Dad did too. But I think seeing you reminds him a bit too much of what he has once been,” Doyoung explained, then glanced over at the kids currently busy nibbling on cookies that must taste like heaven, considering Taeyong had made them anyways. “I’m not sure about Jaemin’s parents though. Whether they want to avoid you like dad or just love taking advantage of me too much.”

Jaehyun smiled softly at that, unwillingly so. “It sounds nice. Your two families getting along well.” He had a hunch he wouldn’t be included quite as much, neither Taeyong nor him, but they still had their own little family to take care of that. 

“As long as you aren’t made the babysitter by default, maybe,” the beta complained, not in the whiny kind of tone Ten had nor the seemingly not caring manner of Johnny but an actually annoyed phrasing. It made Jaehyun blow some air in amusement, even more so when Jeno jumped up and tried to tackle his elder brother into the sand, insisting again and again they bury him in the sand. All harsh words were contradicted when Doyoung, although acting reluctant, ended up with only his head being free of sand while the rest of him was covered up, more so, with Jaemin proudly sitting on top of the little hill.

From behind him, Renjun clung to him, little arms wrapped around his neck, and the boy whined, “Baba! Can we ice cream? Want shaved ice! And Nana said cherry is best so want try cherry. But Nono said peach is better. Baba always eats peach. Is peach better then?”

Had Jaehyun ever pointed out Renjun slowly growing into Korean was adorable? Sure, there were still some clumsy mistakes but what kid didn’t make them? The mere fact that his son was comfortable expressing himself so well already was all too endearing anyways. “What do you think of that, bugles,” he started, reaching around to grab his child and swing him to his front over his shoulder, “We ask Nono and Nana what they want and then we go look for a stall, and when we found one, we’ll ask whether they’ll make a special serving of too flavors for you alone, alright?”

“Want! Baba, want!” Renjun easily called out, throwing his arms up in a cheer and then quickly wrap them around Jaehyun’s neck again when the father stood up with the kid in his arms. From high above, the small one then asked, “Nana! Nono! You want shaved ice? What flavors?”

“Milk!”

“Peaches!”

The alpha couldn’t help laughing at their equal enthusiasm, already memorizing their wishes before asking the beta and his mate too. Taeyong, often one step ahead of him, also handed him his wallet too, which he then handed on to Renjun to keep hold of it rather than wanting to stuff it into his wet swimming trunks. “Let’s go, shall we?” He asked, booping his son’s nose as he already set pace to their destination, the kid still in his arms. 

“Baba?” The boy asked after a while of walking around, searching for the shop that had been wished for. “Baba like Nono and Nana? Because Renjun like Nono and Nana and Renjun want Baba to like what Renjun likes.”

“Like Fat Mr Seo?” Jaehyun asked, passing only the agreeing noise. “They’re cute. Like Fat Mr Seo. But how about you tell me what you especially like about them? I also promise I’ll keep it a secret, okay?” He gave a conspiratorial wink to Renjun, who only giggled and then went on a whole tangent of traits he liked about either or both of them. Even just listening to that was like candy to the ears, and most definitely also a sweet distraction of their journey for an actual treat. Afterwards they’d have to work off the sugar high, though, but today the art loved didn’t mind quite as much. Not when it brought such joy to his son.  


  


⌒･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*☆

  


“Are you sure you want to do this?” Kun asked, for maybe the third time this afternoon and ever since he had brought over Yangyang for lunch. Considering Renjun had insisted he gets to have a pajama party and Jaehyun and Taeyong were all too ready to indulge him, they had made quick work of inviting Kun for lunch as well. It took place way too seldomly anyways, and whilst the two omegas met a lot at work, the youngest felt like he had been left out a lot. Sure, Kun and him texted at times but that was about it, and it felt a bit disappointing considering they were actually great friends.

“Now it’s too late to back out, hyung,” Jaehyun joked and refilled Kun’s wine glass for the third time this day. Today, the older didn’t protest it since he hadn’t come by car. Instead, the two thirds of the café owners had spent the morning and early noon in the store anyways, rushing to prepare enough treats for the day and then finished early. Yangyang had been brought in by Kun’s sister and in the end, Jaehyun had picked them all up with the car. Now it was a win-win situation because they all could drink some, and the alpha had a hunch they might need it anyways.

He was further proven right, when Kun lifted his glass once again and took several short sips. “I once did that with that pest over there and the twins. Believe me when I say my nightmares are made of that.”

“It can’t possibly be that bad. Can it?” Honestly, he hoped it wasn’t. Kun was about the most patient person Jaehyun knew, maybe even more so than Johnny, but Kunhang was also way more of a mess than any of the kids this night would be. If anyone could challenge Yangyang’s level of problematic, it most definitely was Kunhang, and both his parents would immediately agree on top. On the other hand, Renjun was way controlled and Jeno had also been on the calmer side so far, somewhat raising Jaehyun’s hopes into this being a rather relaxed playdate after all. 

The omega only grimaced at the memory and downed his glass. “I think I’ll leave before I experience it but feel free to tell me I was right later. Can I use your telephone?” 

Jaehyun laughed but signed his friend to go on, already having figured it was to call a taxi rather than using the public transport when drunk on wine. While Kun did that, the alpha hurried to clean the kitchen and their dining area, storing the leftovers in the fridge so they could eat them another time or as snacks. He finished just in time for the older to come in and say his goodbyes, followed by them going to the living room so Kun could also bow out to Taeyong who had volunteered to keep the kids busy, arguing he had seen enough of a kitchen for the day anyways.

“Good luck. You’ll need it.” The omega repeated once more at the door, and then he was gone. Jaehyun stuck around only long enough to see Kun head into the elevator before going back inside and tidy up some more. Considering Jeno’s and Jaemin’s parents already weren’t the greatest fans of theirs, he really didn’t want to leave a bad impression by having toys or art books lying around while they dropped off their kids.

  


How true Kun’s words were destined to be Jaehyun realized only hours later. Sure, Renjun and Jeno being calmer did wonders to keep their chaos on the low, but with Yangyang’s high energy level and Jaemin’s unrivaled enthusiasm, certain parts of their day proved to be difficult regardless. Like, when they had taken out all four of them to the nearby park so they could have fun at the playground, not only was Kun’s nephew infected by Renjun bringing up ice cream and yelling about it for a good half an hour, he also insisted they stay albeit Jaemin seemed drowsy and Renjun and Jeno had already retreated to the swings. In the end, bribery had won them their permission to go home.

There dinner had turned out to be a whole mess and Jaehyun had never known how much he should appreciate Renjun to be a clean eater before that day, especially when Jaemin had decided he needed to feed Jeno and somehow a spoonful of stew had ended in Yangyang’s face instead. Who then had been about to start a food fight if not for Taeyong meddling just in time. By placating them all with ice creams and fruits, the omega had eventually managed to lure them into the living room to watch a movie with him, leaving his alpha mate to tidy up the kitchen once again.

Admittedly, the sight had been cute at first, Taeyong cuddled up beneath a blanket, with Yangyang on one side and Jeno on the other, leaving Renjun and Jaemin to watch the movie with interest. Even Er had gone out of her way to move to the couch, resting between the adult’s legs like the lazy thing she was. How absolutely not cute it was the parents only got to figure out when they tried to put all of them asleep, and Jaemin had taken the sugar at night a tad too well whilst Jeno and especially Yangyang did not feel asleep anymore after their nap with Taeyong.

It turned out to be a whole fight to even talk them into laying down as they kept insisting on playing around some more. Eventually, after the sleeping area had been prepared by moving the couch and coffee table aside and spreading out some futons for them, turning on a second movie seemed to have done wonders. Exhausted themselves, Taeyong had struck a deal with them on being allowed to be alone as long as they behaved and making them pinky promise that the kids would report all their wishes and in exchange the adults would try their best fulfilling them. The plan worked rather well, there were hardly any noises to be heard through the open living room and bedroom door, and the few times they checked up on the kids, all seemed to be going well anyways.

Actually, maybe even better than well: Jaemin and Renjun had clearly been more worn out than the other two and cuddled up and fallen asleep faster, with Renjun clutching onto Mr Fox while laying on his side and Jaemin, sleeping on his stomach, had one hand clutching to the older’s shirt; whereas Jeno and Yangyang had first attentively watched the movie, only to get progressively more tired too, eventually falling asleep as well in each their own ways. Before the movie had been finished, they had all clocked out, and Taeyong turned all devices and lights - with the exception of a dimmed standing lamp in the corner of the room - off. 

The doors remained open, a sign for the kids to come bother them if needed, and for the parents to be more aware of any noises the night and four kids could bring. Which didn’t mean it wasn’t entirely justified for Taeyong to drop into bed like a bag of stones and then cuddle up to Jaehyun who was still reading. 

“If you look at it from the bright side,” the alpha started, wrapping his arm around the smaller to bring their frames closer together while with the other hand he tugged the bookmark in and put his read aside, just so he could focus entirely on his mate, “Us taking them in for a night means we got a voucher for a night off. And your heat is coming up soon.”

Merely the thought of that had his guts churning with desire, it felt like eternity since they had last been able to spend a night like that but it was what he had assigned himself to. At least for the first year they would lack intimacy, not unlike being with a screaming toddler, but with how well Johnny and Ten got along with Renjun, Jaehyun was certain there would be possibilities later on, when their kid had experienced everything there was to in a year with them at least once. 

A gentle slap landed against his chest, had the younger grin in amusement. “Don’t talk like your rut won’t be triggered by my heat, you beast. You’re the one who always protested against me taking the pill.”

“Too many side-effects,” Jaehyun hummed, turned onto his side just so he could look at the omega better and brush back some strands of hair carefully. He wasn’t about to feed his boyfriend some medicine that came with risks when a bit of care from his side brought upon them the same kind of results without any risks. “And you love it anyways.” A teasing smile was on his lips as he leaned in to cut off any kind of protest that might still come, although it cost him all his efforts to keep it tame and gentle. In all honesty, he was deprived, but he hadn’t learnt how to control himself throughout countless of Taeyong’s heats to now give up his rationality for a mere kiss. 

It was easy to fall into a pace like this, with merely the dull light of a night light illuminating their room and features, with Taeyong pressing up against his frame and tasting so incredibly sweet after a dull layer of mouthwash. Moments like these were the most he had these days, just tasting his mate, the sweetness of the macarons that were the cafe’s specialty, the accompanying tea, tasting like the sweetest of afternoon teas but all within the kiss and lips of the man he loved most. He smiled softly, couldn’t help smiling when feeling the fragile omega against his own, and slowly made his way down, along the slender neck and hypnotizing source of that tempting scent. But before he could get lured in too much, he moved lower still, until he could mouth at the mating mark he had left already some several months ago, proof of their bond, sign of their trust, evidence of their love. “Marry me.”

Tension settled between them, rushing in like a hurricane but cold like a blizzard, heavy like the ocean suffocating him and then, like a mirror image, it broke apart, broke into pieces the moment Taeyong broke into the brightest of smiles. “Yes! Yes, thousand times yes!” He whisper-shouted and if only possible, Jaehyun was certain he’d have been tackled into bed already but instead, they only rolled over once, with the older perched on the alpha’s lap. 

In Jaehyun’s eyes, his mate was glowing, infinitely so, shining brighter than any star at this moment. And even the sun was counted as a star. A reflection of his own feelings as he looked at the older, took him in with the widest of smiles, realized with joy that this was indeed the happiest version of a life he could possibly lead. Until-

“Uncle Jae, Tae, are you doing the naughties?” A little voice called out, bleary from sleep and so incredibly innocent, and albeit it interrupted their moment but could never ruin it. Evidently so when they broke into soft laughter together, before Taeyong got up and headed over to Jeno standing in the doorway. Turned out, after waking up and going to the bathroom, the kid had only felt lonely with Jaemin and Renjun already cuddling. 

Jaehyun didn’t have it in him to protest, neither did his mate, and falling asleep with the pup between them still didn’t lessen their proximity. It made the alpha smile, a gentle one, as he looked at Taeyong from above Jeno’s head, the kid tugged close to his chest and framed by their bigger bodies. Already the pup was getting drowsy, and not wanting to disturb the boy’s sleep, the parent only found himself mouthing a silent, “I love you.”

Taeyong’s shining eyes were all the reply he would ever need.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello the second! This marks the end of this part of the story and for those who stuck around, I dearly hope you enjoyed it! (*¯ ³¯*)♡
> 
> Before I follow up with all the random facts of writing this, I made a [twitter](https://twitter.com/starrymeis) recently and I'd love to talk NCT with y'all! I also have a [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/starrymeis) if you'd rather just shoot me some messages on the quick! Or leave me some comments? (ง ื▿ ื)ว 
> 
> I actually feel like I got a bunch of other things to say about this but at the moment of updating... not so much. So here goes my random trivia:
> 
> ☆ I think this was one of the fastest I ever finished a story, especially when I split it in two! one of the reasons I prefer one-shots, after all, is that I can write it in one go too, and don't have to think about all the many things that come with chaptering  
☆ I actually tried to research the adopting process in Korea but all I got on Google was adopting _from_ South Korea so this is not in the least a proper portrayal of how it is supposed to play out. Considering adoption may take up to years, that they did it within a few weeks is blamed on my creative freedom ┐(￣ヘ￣;)┌  
☆ For those who read Daddy Issues before this: I realized I messed up on the timeline a bit whenever I went to check on the previous infos as I said Renjun met Jeno and Jaemin when he was seven in that story and he is about four in this one... But as I really, really love DI, I didn't have it in me to correct it just yet and neither did I want to distract myself too much before finishing this (ಥ﹏ಥ) There come a day I edit it but until then, please just overlook it?  
☆ The Fox and the Hound is actually one of the first movies I remember watching and I recall both parts made me cry quite hard but their friendship was so endearing, I couldn't help myself! They must have left quite an impression, I still like the smaller hounds like dachshunds and even the droopydorable basset  
☆ Somewhere in this story I actually placed an easter egg for an idea our writing duo started  
☆ This was so hard to write at times for I had to recall all of the technical details of when I was, like, 4 years old myself (╥﹏╥) such a challenge! but keep in mind this plays, like, 15 years earlier so naturally there's no mobile phones etc just yet  
☆ FlyV is - unsurprisingly - an analogy to WayV and as they get the cookie eaters flying and were agreed to a verdict of guilt, it's kind of like a flying verdict? It was a long day when I came up with that so it was funnier to me than it likely should be...  
☆ While writing this, I both went "Uncle John life matters!" and "I'll make Johnny a slimy green alien" to Gems (a sworn John stan) and I think it pretty much sums up my relation to his character (￣▽￣*)ゞ


End file.
